NMDC Targets 60 Million Tonnes Iron‑Ore Output This Fiscal

India’s biggest iron‑ore producer, NMDC, is pulling up its socks after crossing the 50 MT milestone in FY 2026. The chairman, Amitava Mukherjee, told reporters the company is now gunning for 60 million tonnes this fiscal – a jump of roughly 20 % on a year‑on‑year basis.

He said the push isn’t just a flash in the pan. It’s tied to the National Steel Policy of 2017, which sketches a pretty ambitious picture: a domestic steel‑making capacity of 300 MT by 2030‑31. To feed that, NMDC hopes to scale its output all the way up to 100 MT over the next five years.

“We’ve already crossed 50 MT, so the next step is to get to 60 MT from our existing mines and the assets we share with the NMDC‑CMDC joint venture,” Mukherjee explained, adding a casual “you know, it’s a big lift but we’re confident.”

What’s helping the climb? The company has already filed for environmental clearances for a handful of new deposits with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Those approvals, once in hand, will let NMDC tap fresh ore reserves without waiting too long.

On the ground, infrastructure upgrades are humming along. Bids have been floated to set up belt‑conveying systems, crushers and breakers at a few sites – basically the plumbing that gets the rock from the pit to the crusher faster and cheaper.

Four major, highly mechanised mining complexes power NMDC’s current output. They sit in Chhattisgarh’s Bailadila sector and Karnataka’s Donimalai‑Uttara zones, each humming with heavy equipment and a steady stream of ore trucks.

Meanwhile, the balance sheet shows a modest uptick: Q1 net profit edged up to ₹2,007 crore, hinting that the operational push isn’t just about volume but also about better margins.

When asked about the lofty 100 MT target, Mukherjee smiled and said, “We’re progressing well. We’re on track, and we’ll definitely get there.” A hint of optimism, perhaps, but also a reminder that the journey from 60 to 100 MT will need more mines, more clearances, and a fair bit of grit.

For India’s steel mills, that extra iron‑ore could mean more domestic steel, less reliance on imports, and a step closer to the self‑sufficiency the government envisions. Whether NMDC can keep the momentum alive remains to be seen, but for now the numbers look promising.