According to the latest data released by the Indian Trade Ministry's directorate general of commercial intelligence and statistics (DGCIS), domestic thermal coal imports increased by 8% to 161 Mt (from 149 Mt) during the 2017-2018 fiscal year, while coking coal imports rose by 13% to 47 Mt. This is the first time in three financial years that India's total coal imports rise. Indonesia remains the largest supplier of thermal coal to India and accounts for approximately 60% of India's thermal coal imports (nearly 95 Mt) from 91 Mt in 2016-2017. South Africa is also a significant exporter of thermal coal with 38 Mt in 2017-2018 (+13%).
The domestic Indian coal supply suffered from logistical bottlenecks because of a shortage of trains and regulatory changes targeting pollution cuts, which boosted coal imports. This undermines the government's capacity to diminish India-bound coal shipments and cut its import bill. The total value of India's 2017-2018 coal imports went up by 38% to US$20bn.
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