- Landslide disrupts NMDC iron ore dispatches
- JSW Dolvi intake falls amid higher imports
The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), India’s largest iron ore miner, dispatched 484 rakes from its Chhattisgarh mines in September 2026, equivalent to 1.86 million tonnes (mnt) of iron ore, down 9% from 531 rakes (2.04 mnt) in August. The decline was mainly due to monsoon-related disruptions and a landslide on 25 September, which halted dispatches and led to pending movements. Dispatches are expected to normalise by around 10 October, as per BigMint understanding. On a y-o-y basis, however, dispatches increased 10% from 440 rakes in September 2025.
NMDC’s iron ore production increased 7.7% y-o-y to 4.04 mnt in September, while sales declined 9.5% to 3.51 mnt. On a monthly basis, production remained largely stable against 4.07 mnt in August, while sales declined from 3.58 mnt. The divergence indicates that production continued to outpace sales during the month, resulting in higher inventory accumulation.
For April-September, NMDC’s production rose 22.8% y-o-y to 27.27 mnt, while sales declined 2.2% to 22.23 mnt. Monsoon-related disruptions across mining and logistics operations continued to affect iron ore movement during the period.
Notably, these volumes represent rake movements from NMDC’s Chhattisgarh mines to units within Chhattisgarh and plants in other states, excluding supplies to AM/NS India through the slurry pipeline. Each rake carries approximately 3,850 t of iron ore.
Sourcing by Chhattisgarh-based units rise
NMDC dispatched 171 (0.66 mnt) iron ore rakes to Chhattisgarh-based units in September, an increase of 8% as against 159 (0.61 mnt) in August. Supplies to its own Nagarnar-based facility increased 9%, with 123 rakes in September against 113 rakes in August 2026. Moreover, dispatches to other state-based plants edged up 4% m-o-m.
The increase in sourcing by Chhattisgarh-based units was supported by limited pellet availability and hike in pellet prices during the month amid healthy demand from the semi-finished and finished steel segments. This encouraged steelmakers to maintain iron ore procurement despite logistical disruptions.
Sourcing by units outside Chhattisgarh declines m-o-m
Overall, NMDC’s iron ore movements to plants outside Chhattisgarh dropped by 16% to 313 rakes in September against 372 in the previous month. The decline was mainly due to monsoon-related logistical disruptions and lower rake availability during the month.
Intake by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the leading buyer, increased by 16% to 112 rakes against 133 in the previous month, with the steelmaker procuring material from other sources as well.
Iron ore rake movements to JSW Steel’s Dolvi plant declined sharply by 42% m-o-m to 44 rakes in September from 76 rakes in August. JSW Steel’s increased reliance on imported iron ore during the month also contributed to the decline in NMDC’s dispatches, BigMint understands.
In contrast, dispatches to KIOCL fell sharply to 68 rakes in September from 85 rakes in August. The fell was weighed.
Dispatches to ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Limited (AM/NS) fell by 7% to 26 rakes this month against 28 rakes in August.
Outlook
NMDC’s rake movements are expected to remain affected until 10 October due to the ongoing disruption, but are likely to improve thereafter as dispatch operations normalise and pending movements get clear.
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