India: Govt extends quantitative restrictions on low-ash met coke till Dec’25

• India’s met coke imports hit 2.5-years low in Feb’25
• Domestic met coke prices to find support

The Government of India has extended the existing quantitative restrictions (QRs) on the import of low-ash metallurgical (LAM) coke for an additional six months, from 1 July to 31 December 2025, according to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

The move extends the policy conditions under Chapter 27 of the Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) 2022, Schedule I (Import Policy), which had been effective since 1 January 2025. These restrictions, applied on a country-wise basis, limit the import volumes of LAM coke to maintain checks on import surges and safeguard domestic industry interests.

As per the updated notification (No. 22/2025-26 dated 30 June 2025), key export origins such as Australia, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, and others have been allocated specific quarterly import quotas for the July-December 2025 period. The total permissible import volume for the six-month period remains at 1.427 million tonnes (mnt).

India’s metallurgical coke (met coke) imports saw a sharp decline of 64% m-o-m in February 2025 to 0.13 million tonnes (mnt), from 0.34 mnt in January 2025, as per provisional data maintained with BigMint. Volumes have fallen to two-and-a-half year lows with similar levels last seen in June 2022.

This may lend some support to domestic met coke prices, which plunged to a five-year low in mid-June 2025, as per data maintained with BigMint.

The DGFT clarified that all other terms and conditions from the earlier notification (No. 44/2024-25 dated 26 December 2024) will remain unchanged. The country-wise QR regime is scheduled to lapse automatically on 31 December 2025, unless extended further.

Notably, India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has launched an inquiry into met coke imports from key supplying nations, including Australia, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia, following complaints from domestic producers about price undercutting and market distortions. BigMint received a copy of the circular dated 29 March 2025.