India’s non-ferrous imports climbed by 42pc for aluminum and 18pc for copper from January-April compared with the same months in 2020 according to the country’s Customs data.
Aluminum scrap imports stood at 538,776mt in the first four months of the year against 380,164mt in the same period last year, while copper scrap cargoes into the country increased to 82,163mt compared to 69,487mt within the same time frame.
Aluminum scrap
In April, India imported 121,935mt of aluminum scrap, up 160pc from 46,902mt in the same month last year. However, imports dropped by 6pc from 129,780mt in March this year.
The USA was the lead exporter of the commodity, with a 57pc increase in shipments at 23,173mt in April from 14,747mt in April 2020. Saudi Arabia followed in second place, with five times more cargo to 15,620mt from 2,424mt within the same period.
Copper scrap
India’s copper scrap imports jumped 150pc in April to 20,587mt from 8,240mt in the same month of the year prior but decreased by 4pc from 21,418mt in March 2021, according to the country’s Customs data.
Germany was the largest exporter of copper scrap, with 1.4 times more cargo to tally at 3,084mt in April from 1,309mt in the same month last year. The second-largest exporter was Saudi Arabia, with a 364pc increase to 2,495mt from 537mt within the same period. Exports from the US, which was the largest supplier of copper at 1,317mt in April 2020, fell by 17pc to 1,099mt in April 2021.