The Hindu Business Line : Domestic loading of iron ore increases in SW Railway

Mangalore, Sept. 23 The decrease in the export loading of iron ore cargo in South Western Railway (SWR) zone seems to have helped the domestic sector with the domestic loading showing a strong trend of growth in the past three to four months.

Sources in the Railways told Business Line that the Hubli-headquartered SWR, which was loading around seven rakes of iron ore cargo a day for domestic industries in April-May, loaded around nine rakes a day in August. The growth trend is continuing with SWR loading around seven rakes a day till September 20, they said.

The domestic loading, which was at seven rakes a day in June, increased to nine rakes a day in July.

This increase in loading comes at a time when the export-bound loading has come down by nearly 50 per cent during the corresponding period.

Sources said SWR is meeting all the domestic demand. “Given all the arrangements such as railway network, siding, station facilities etc, the domestic industry is able to take about nine rakes a day now,” they said.

Growth in domestic loading has been attributed to the demand from Jindal Vijayanagar Steel at Toranagallu in Karnataka and to the increased supply from NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) to the domestic industries.

Supply side

On the supply side of iron ore cargo for domestic industries, four rakes a day are supplied by NMDC.

All the private companies put together supply the remaining five rakes a day.

On buyers’ side, Jindal Vijayanagar Steel is the major buyer with three rakes a day. Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd in Mangalore takes about 1.75 rakes a day, Ispat Iron and Steel Ltd in Mumbai takes about one rake a day, and Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel plant (a unit of Steel Authority of India Ltd) at Bhadravati in Karnataka takes around 0.5 rake a day.

Sources said the remaining amount of iron ore is loaded to domestic industries such as Sunflag Industries near Nagpur, Lanco near Tirupati, Kalyani Steel near Kadapa and Hospet and Kirloskar Ferrous near Hospet among others.

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