AMNS India, a local JV unit of the world’s largest steel-maker Arcelor Mittal, has moved court seeking relief against DGFT’s import curbs on met coke, a key steel-making raw material.
AMNS India is a 60:40 joint venture between Arcelor Mittal and Japan’s Nippon Steel.
The company is seeking relief against the rejection of 168,300 mt of met coke import orders from Indonesia and Poland. These raw material orders, AMNS India has pointed out, were placed before the restrictions kicked in; and its petition seeks relief, allowing import of the in-transit feedstock (without a duty burden).
Starting January, India has imposed curbs on low-ash metallurgical coke or met coke import. It is to be in place till June 30. Country-specific quotas were announced to help domestic suppliers.
According to the notification, met coke imports from specified countries will only be permitted against an import authorisation issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Imports from 11 countries fall under these restrictions, with Indonesia, India’s major met coke source in recent months, likely to face the biggest brunt.
Reducing agent
Met coke serves as both a reducing agent and a source of energy. As it reacts with iron ore, it reduces the iron oxides. This reduction process is vital to obtain crude iron, which later undergoes further refining to produce steel.
“We are seeking relief for the quantities that are already in transit; and had been ordered before the curbs came in place,” an official in the know said.
Earlier, AMNS India top brass had written to one of the country’s top law-makers expressing dissatisfaction at the policy change pointing out that future investments and steel-making activities here could be hit if this policy was pursued on a long term basis.
AMNS India refused to comment on the matter.
Many of India’s steel mills are reportedly unhappy with this policy change. Mills are reliant on imports as they are not sure of the local quality and the mix of the metcoke in their blast furnaces.
Incidentally, AMNS India is the second large metal maker here to have moved court seeking relief. Earlier this year, JSW Steel too had sought similar relaxations for pre-placed orders. JSW Steel is yet to respond to queries.
India’s metallurgical coke (met coke) imports saw a sharp decline of 64 per cent m-o-m in February 2025 to 0.13 million tonnes (mnt), from 0.34 mnt in January 2025, as per provisional data maintained by market consultancy firm, BigMint. Volumes have fallen to two-and-a-half year lows with similar levels last seen in June 2022.
In comparison to February 2024, met coke imports in February 2025 were 63 per cent lower, against 0.33 mnt imported in the same month last year.
