India will impose restrictions on the import of low-ash metallurgical coke, a key ingredient for steel production, for six months starting January 1, 2025, a government order said on Thursday.
The move aims to protect domestic producers from rising imports, which have increased by more than 61% over the past four years, according to data from the Federal Ministry of Trade.
The order establishes country-specific quotas, limiting imports to 713,583 tonnes for each of the first two quarters of 2025.
Most of the imports allowed under the restriction will come from Poland and Colombia.
The import of metallurgical coke with an ash content above 18% – generally considered to be of poor quality for steel production – remains unrestricted.
This decision follows the April proposal by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies, an arm of the federal Ministry of Commerce, to limit annual imports to 2.85 million metric tonnes for one year.
However, major steelmakers, including JSW Steel and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel, have opposed the proposal, arguing that it could hamper steel production in India, the world's second-largest producer of crude steel.
The Government consulted the steel industry ahead of the restrictions, Reuters reported in August.
