Against the Northern region demand for steel growing at the rate of 10%-12% per annum, steel produced is only 9%. Hence, we need to match the production with consumer demand, said union minister of steel Virbhadra Singh, at the CII Steel Mart 2010, at CII Northern region headquarters.
Emphasising on technology, the minister said steel industry is growing and we need to keep pace with it by constant technology up gradation and innovating new types and uses of steel. There is a need to conserve our natural resources for future. The minister was of the view to export only value added products and ban iron ore exports. ?India must be the biggest exporter than the biggest consumer of steel,? aspired the minister.
The conference saw a host of leading luminaries from steel, allied industries and financial institutions to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces today. Northern region is the largest consumer of steel with changing skylines of rural India. ?For this we have created hypermarts where the customers can come & conveniently pick any quantity at pre fix prices & deliver off the shelf,? said J Mehra, director, Essar Group.
?If the major issue of availability of power is resolved, by the states or through captive generation, the steel sector in north is poised for steep growth?, stressed Mehra. He added that other impediments which need to be addressed are project clearance and untimely delivery of raw material which results in the erosion of the Indian industry would have otherwise enjoyed due to the availability of cheap labour and raw materials. Representing the secondary steel industry, JK Arora, president, All India Induction Furnace Association , demanded for support from the steel ministry.
?Secondary steel industry, once regarded as a scrap processor, today produced about 30 million tonne of steel, operating at a growth of 20% pa, involving green technologies. We are in process of putting up a cooperative and all we seek is support from the government. We need no subsidies, but do not want to be cross-subsidised?, he insisted.
Considering the need of the secondary steel industry which has emerged as one of the major contributor of the steel Industry in India, Virbhadra announced that a special mechanism will be put up to look the interest of the secondary steel producers. Representing the MSMEs, Kamna Raj Aggarwalla, vice-chairperson, CII Punjab said, ?Attitude of the primary sector towards the secondary industry needs to be changed. It?s time that we look at integrating MSME with the mainstream industry, for mutual benefits.?
The CII Steel Mart 2010 brought with it the directions for steel industry in North. ?CII Steel Mart 2010 has come up as an excellent forum to overcome challenges facing the domestic industry and help in becoming a global player in the world steel market. Taking this further, CII Northern region will now institutionalise the event,? said RM Khanna, chairman, CII Northern region.