Connect with us
Tuesday,09-December-2025
Breaking News

Business

Indian stainless steel sector drowning in Chinese imports

Published

on

The first half of 2021-22 has seen a 185 per cent increase in stainless steel imports compared to the average monthly imports in the last fiscal, creating havoc for the Indian players.

The import tide of stainless steel from China and Indonesia is fast turning into a deluge destroying many companies on its way, and threatening the very existence of the small, medium and micro industries in India. After all, the first half of 2021-22 witnessed a staggering 185% increase in import volumes of stainless steel flat products compared to the average monthly imports in the last fiscal, fuelled mostly by surge in Chinese and Indonesian imports.

The two countries China and Indonesia, which increased their exports by 300 per cent and 339 per cent, respectively, in the first half of this fiscal compared to the average monthly imports of the last fiscal, now have a share of 79 per cent of the total stainless steel flat product imports in the first half of FY22. It is a significant jump compared to the 44 per cent share in FY21. The average per month imports has jumped from 34,105 tonnes per month in FY21 to 63,154 tonnes per month this current fiscal–FY 22.

Indonesia’s imports share, which was virtually non-existent in 2016-17, has climbed to 23 per cent in the first half of this fiscal, with its average monthly exports increasing from 4,355 tonnes/month in the last fiscal to 14,766 tonnes/month in the first half of this fiscal. China’s average monthly exports too has jumped from 10,697 tonnes/month in the last fiscal to 35,269 tonnes/month in the first half of this fiscal.

The surge in imports was the result of the Finance Ministry’s decision of September 30, 2021 to revoke the imposition of CVD on China (September 2017) and end provisional duties on Indonesia (October 2020), which was based on the recommendations of the Director-General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), after a detailed investigation. The investigation had revealed that the two countries were resorting to non-WTO compliant subsidies to boost their exports to India and causing injury to Indian manufacturers.

In fact, the DGTR and their global counterparts had conclusively proved in its final finding that both these countries provide non-WTO compliant subsidies to the tune of 20 per cent to 30 per cent to their stainless steel manufacturers. And, these subsidies have created an imbalance in the Indian and international markets, reduced the competitiveness of Indian products in the domestic industry, causing material injury and persistent financial stress for home-grown businesses. It has forced the domestic industry to seek redressal from the surge in imports.

In fact, in India a disaggregated study of imported products in the first half of the current fiscal also reveals how excessive dumping has taken place in a particular J3 grade of stainless steel in the country. Imports of J3, a subsidised and dumped 200 series grade of stainless steel, with about 1 per cent nickel and 13 per cent chromium from China, has jumped from an average of 1,779 tonnes/month in 2019 to an average of 4,425 tonnes/month in 20-21 (249 per cent increase) and to average 25,346 tonnes to in just six months of 2021-22 (1,424 per cent) increase compared to the same period last year.

The share of this grade in total imports from China increased 23 per cent in 2019-20 to 72 per cent in 2021-22. Much of this import is even below the scrap prices and it hurts the MSME sector, the hardest. Such dumping also means major losses in terms of national exchequer through tax evasion and revenue losses.

This onslaught of Chinese exports to India has decimated the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), which had to bear the brunt of the impact. In fact, the imposition of provisional CVD on Indonesia in October 2020 and CVD on China in place from September 2017, had provided a “level-playing field” to these players, which got a much-needed relief from the dumped subsidised imports. The MSME, an industry having the capacity to produce about 1.2 lakh tonnes of hot and cold-rolled flat products, was able to operate at 90 per cent plus capacity utilization between October 2020 to February 2021.

However, the MSME sector suddenly finds itself grasping for breath to survive after the announcements of the 2021-22 Budget. Small-scale stainless- steel rollers and re-rollers, who make ingots from recyclable scrap as the first step in stainless- steel product manufacturing, and then produce hot and cold rolled materials for the all-India market, find themselves swamped by a massive and subsidised surge of imports from China and Indonesia.

Today, more than 80 induction furnaces and 500 patti/patta units, which provides primary raw materials for various downstream industries, are in dire straits. These downstream industries manufacture a variety of stainless steel household goods such as kitchenware, tableware, cooking range, sanitary items, cutlery pots, etc.

Prakash Jain, President, All India Stainless Steel Cold Roller Association, says: “The smaller Indian stainless steel players finds it virtually impossible to compete with the state-subsidised Chinese players, who get an 18 per cent incentive to export, under invoice their products by changing the label of the products to avoid paying duties and sell it at Rs 15 to Rs 17 per tonne cheaper in the Indian market.”

According to Jain, Gujarat has 70 rolling mills, each employing around 300 people and 50 induction furnaces, which makes ingots, the raw material for rolling mills and employs 500 each.

Not only will many of these jobs be lost resulting in massive unemployment but force many manufacturers to turn traders unless the CVD is imposed on imports from China and Indonesia.

Business

CBI books Reliance Commercial Finance, its promoters in Rs 57.47 crore bank fraud case

Published

on

Mumbai, Dec 9: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said it has filed a criminal case against Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RCFL) and its promoters and directors over allegedly causing wrongful loss of Rs 57.47 crore to Bank of Maharashtra.

The case has been registered against RCFL — a company of Reliance ADA Group, its promoters/directors and unknown bank officials, on the allegations of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct and thereby, the CBI said in a statement.

According to the statement, the loan account of Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd was declared an NPA by the bank on March 25, 2020 and also as fraud on October 4, 2025, for causing wrongful loss of Rs 57.47 crore to Bank of Maharashtra.

“RCFL was availing loans to the tune of Rs 9,280 crore from 31 banks/ FIs/NBFCs/Corporate Bodies, etc., including Bank of Maharashtra. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the allegations of defrauding all the banks/FIs, etc. by the accused company,” said the CBI.

The probe agency obtained search warrants from the court of a Special CBI judge, Mumbai and commenced searches at the official premises of RCFL at Mumbai and the residential premises of Devang Pravin Mody, Director of the company, at Pune, on December 9.

“Several incriminating documents have been observed and are being taken into possession during searches. Searches are in progress,” the CBI said.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary charge sheet against Reliance Power Ltd and 10 others, in the case of fake bank guarantees of Rs 68 crore submitted by Reliance Power Limited to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for the purpose of securing a tender issued by it. ED attached the proceeds of crime worth Rs 5.15 crore as well.

Reliance Power Ltd said in a statement that “ED allegations have not yet passed through judicial scrutiny and the Company has not been held guilty of any wrongdoing”.

“As per law settled by the Supreme Court, the company will get an opportunity to put across its case and facts before the court, even before cognisance, so filing of this complaint does not affect the affairs of the company in any manner,” said the company in an exchange filing.

Continue Reading

Business

IndiGo Crisis Day 8: Mumbai Hit Hard As Flight Chaos Enters Day 8; Over 30 Cancellations Snarl City’s Air Travel

Published

on

Mumbai: air travel operations remained disrupted on Tuesday as IndiGo’s nationwide aviation crisis stretched into its eighth consecutive day, causing large-scale cancellations and commuter chaos across the country. But Mumbai, one of IndiGo’s busiest and most critical hubs, continued to bear a brunt of the meltdown, with passengers facing uncertain schedules and repeated last-minute cancellations.

By 9:30 am, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had already logged 31 IndiGo cancellations, including 14 inbound flights and 17 outbound departures. Long queues, anxious passengers and repeated rescheduling announcements dominated Terminal 2 through the morning peak hours, leaving thousands scrambling to adjust their plans.

Across India, more than 200 IndiGo flights were cancelled today. Bengaluru topped the list with 121 cancellations, followed by Hyderabad (58), Chennai (41) and Kerala with four. But for Mumbai passengers, many of whom rely on IndiGo for frequent business and leisure travel, the interruptions continued to be especially disruptive.

The turmoil, which began last Tuesday, has snowballed into a full-blown operational crisis. Over 4,500 flights have been cancelled between last week and Monday. Even though IndiGo claimed on Sunday that operations were ‘stabilising,’ the airline saw over 500 fresh cancellations on Monday alone, leaving passengers stranded overnight at multiple airports, including Mumbai.

The root of IndiGo’s meltdown has been linked to the airline’s inability to implement the second phase of India’s updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which came into effect in November. The revised norms, aimed at cutting pilot fatigue and extending rest periods, required IndiGo to restructure crew rosters. However, the airline has reportedly been struggling with a pilot shortage, leading to a mismatch between the new regulations and its available manpower.

To reduce pressure on airlines and mitigate the ongoing disruption, aviation regulator DGCA temporarily relaxed certain night-duty and weekly rest requirements for pilots. This relaxation is expected to help airlines stabilise operations through emergency rostering flexibility.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament that IndiGo did not raise any concerns during a crucial meeting on December 1, just a day before the cancellations spiralled. He attributed the chaos to the airline’s internal system rather than regulatory pressure.

The government has now decided to sharply cut IndiGo’s winter schedule. The airline, which operates 2,200 flights a day and commands nearly 60 per cent of the domestic market, will see its schedule curtailed, with several routes handed to other carriers to prevent further passenger inconvenience.

Continue Reading

Business

LT Foods drops over 6.5 pc, other Indian rice stocks also slide

Published

on

Mumbai, Dec 9: Shares of leading Indian rice companies fell sharply on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump hinted that he may impose fresh tariffs on agricultural imports, specifically targeting Indian rice and Canadian fertilisers.

The statement triggered immediate selling in stocks linked to the rice trade. LT Foods was the biggest loser, with its share price slipping 6.85 per cent to Rs 366.55.

Shares of KRBL also declined, falling 1.14 per cent, while GRM Overseas dropped 4.46 per cent.

The sudden slide reflected investor concerns that any new US tariffs could hurt export demand and impact earnings for these companies.

Trump made his remarks during a White House event where he announced new support measures for US farmers.

His comments come at a time when trade tensions between the United States and India continue to resurface.

India remains the world’s largest rice producer, with an output of 150 million tonnes and a 28 per cent share in global production.

It is also the top exporter, accounting for 30.3 per cent of global rice exports in 2024–2025, data from the Indian Rice Exporters Federation showed.

Despite this large global presence, India’s rice exports to the US are relatively small.

According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, India shipped around 234,000 tonnes of rice to the US in the 2024 financial year, which is less than 5 per cent of its total global basmati exports of 5.24 million tonnes.

West Asian countries remain the biggest buyers of Indian rice. Among the varieties exported worldwide, the Sona Masoori variety is especially popular in markets like the US and Australia.

The US, under Trump’s leadership, has already imposed steep tariffs on India, including a 50 per cent tariff — its highest — along with a 25 per cent levy on India’s Russian oil imports.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending