Logistics woes drive Indian steel mills to buy iron ore overseas

More supplies of iron ore will be required as the South Asian nation is set to overtake Japan as the world's second-biggest steel producer this year

Steel mills in India are increasingly tapping the global market for iron ore as they find it difficult to transport the key raw material from local mines, and demand for the metal surges in response to the government's ambitious plans to build out the nation’s infrastructure.
 
“Today, India is a net importer of iron ore,” as producers along the coast buy from overseas because they face domestic logistics challenges, mainly as a result of an overloaded railway system, Tuhin Mukherjee, managing director of Essel Mining & Industries, said in an interview in New Delhi. Freight and passenger trains in