India Targets 300 MT Steel Output by 2030 Amid Quality Push, Safeguard Duty

India will be towards 300 million tonnes (MT) of steel production by 2030, as compared to the current capacity of 200 MT, Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik said on Thursday. Addressing the Steel India 2025 conference, Poundrik stated the government was not leaving any stone unturned to make the steel market in the nation price-stable and of quality.

As a part of such efforts, the Centre has just imposed a 12% provisional safeguard duty on some imports of steel for 200 days. It is aimed at protecting domestic manufacturers from a deluge of cheap imports, at the recommendation of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). Based on DGTR’s findings that cheap steel was being dumped in the Indian market, causing local industries to be damaged, this duty was levied,” said Poundrik. He added that the final decision on the duty’s rate and tenure will come after DGTR’s ongoing inquiry.

To further curb the influx of substandard materials, Poundrik said the government is expanding the scope of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) regulations and quality control orders to cover more steel grades.”Only good steel is reaching the market and low-cost, inferior steel is being kept out,” he said.

India’s steel-making capacity increased by 21 MT during the last year, from 179 MT to 200 MT. Based on ongoing expansion projects and industry efforts in progress, Poundrik was hopeful of achieving the 300 MT target in the coming five years.

He also made public that the government is creating an international cooperation strategy to aid Indian steelmakers to go global to buy mining properties, establish international offices, and co-develop technologies.

Earlier during the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a virtual speech, underscored raw material security as an area of particular concern. “We continue to rely on imports for coking coal, nickel, and manganese. Securing supply chains and forging global partnerships is critical,” Modi said.

The multi-faceted strategy of the government aims to position India as a top global steel player while protecting and strengthening its domestic industry.