India has the potential to become the number one in the titanium mineral sector, as the country has the requisite resources, technology and personnel, but the right policy decisions have to be taken and implemented to achieve the objective, according to experts.
The opinion was expressed here on Friday, the concluding day of the International Heavy Minerals Conference.
Steve Gilman, of TZ Minerals International., said India was currently in the fifth position globally in the sector, but the resources, technologies and personnel were available in the country.
There were also certain constraints, as the mineral-rich sands were available only in heavily-populated areas. The availability of fresh water was also a critical factor and the energy costs in India were very high, he said. “If these issues could be addressed, I think India has the potential to become the global leader. I think India is on the right track to achieve the objective,” he said.
He said the private sector should play the crucial role in India as the experience in the other countries showed, but the Government would have to lay down the right policies and implement them. Vertical integration would be required in the industry.
Ram Choudhury, of Mineral Technologies, spoke about the mineral sands processing technologies and the need for constant innovation. He said high grade ores were available in India, but the mineral composition was complex, and therefore complex processing plants would be needed in India and Sri Lanka. But the industry was upgrading the technologies all the time to meet the challenges.