Market Survey on Copper - Indian Bureau of Mines

the world, following these, are bornite, covelite, tetrahedrite and enargite.
Copper production from oxide ores emanates mainly from malachite, azurite,
chrysocolla/dioptase, atacamite, brochanite and several rare minerals.
The production of copper ore in the Mosabani group of mines has been
stopped and the mining lease was allowed to lapse from 15.06.2004 except
Surda mine which was proposed to run through Workers Cooperative Society,
in terms of decision taken in tripartite meeting with Ministry of Labour and
Ministry of Mines, Government of India. However, the production activities in
Surda mine were stopped since June, 2003 due to economic reasons. The mine
has started production of copper ore and its beneficiation into copper
concentrates from January 2008 in association with an Australian company
through its Indian subsidiary India Resources Ltd. (IRL).
As mentioned earlier the content of copper in Indian copper ore is very
low, when compared with the other major copper producing countries.
During the years 2000-01 to 2009-10 the average grade of copper
content in the ore produced ranges from 0.92% Cu to 1.90% (Table: 3.2) while
the grade of copper ore treated during the same period range in between 0.93%
Cu and 1.22% Cu.
As it is seen from the table that the maximum production of copper ore
was in 2000-01at 3.5 million tonnes and the lowest production of 2.64 million
tonnes was recorded in 2005-06. The production in 2009-10 was at 3.23 million
tonnes.
The major economic copper mineralisation is reported from the states of
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. The major production of ore and
concentrate comes from the state of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
The production of metal is from the states of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Gujarat and
Tamil Nadu. The details of ore, concentrates and metal production is given in
Tables: 3.2 to 3.4.
The production of copper ore for the last 10 years is given in Table: 3.2
and depicted in Figure-3.2.
Table: 3.2- Production of Copper Ore, 2000-01 to 2009-10
Year Production(In tonnes) Grade (%)
2000-01 3,498,270 1.07
2001-02 3,417,967 1.12
2002-03 3,071,293 1.07
2003-04 2,902,972 1.04
2004-05 2,929,074 1.00
2005-06 2,642,706 1.90
2006‐07 3,273, 906 1.02
2007‐08 3,242,371 1.02
2008‐09 3,452,406 0.92
2009‐10 3,227,667 N.A.
Presently, the production of copper ore is reported from 3 states namely:
Madhya Pradesh (Malanjkhand Copper Project), and Rajasthan (Khetri copper
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