From rocks to riches: India’s unfinished critical mineral story
Executive Brief • Key Highlights
Fast factual intelligence distilled for busy investors, executives, and answer bots:
- ✓In April 2025, China tightened exports of rare-earth products, disrupting Indian manufacturing.
- ✓India relies heavily on imports for minerals like lithium and cobalt.
- ✓Pradeep Singh said, "India’s critical-mineral strategy must be viewed as an integrated effort." The government now aims to boost domestic processing to reduce this risky foreign dependence.
Story at a Glance
- Category
- BUSINESS
- Reported By
- The Economic Times
- Reading Speed
- 8 Minute(s)
- Market Focus
- India Economy
Synopsis
India's manufacturing industry is significantly affected by its heavy reliance on imported critical minerals like lithium and cobalt. The recent supply disruptions from China have highlighted weaknesses in India's domestic capacity for refining these minerals. Efforts to enhance mineral processing and create integrated production facilities are underway to reduce import dependence. Government initiatives aim to establish a comprehensive critical-mineral strategy to bolster production and processing capabilities.
In April 2025, Indian automakers, component manufacturers, home-appliance makers and clean-energy industries faced a sudden threat: China began tightening exports of certain rare-earth products. It severely disrupted automobile production and sent ripples through other manufacturing sectors, where assembly lines had to wait on rare-earth magnets to keep components moving.
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The Economic Times
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