MOIL has started exporting low-grade manganese ore from India, sending its first shipment of 54,600 tonnes to Indonesia. The consignment left the port of Visakhapatnam on 22 August 2025. The government has designated MOIL as the State Trading Enterprise (STE) for manganese ore exports of below 46% manganese content. This move is part of a policy to route all such exports through MOIL.
MOIL has created an export mechanism for FY 2024–25, working with domestic suppliers through a back-to-back arrangement to facilitate shipments abroad. The exported ore, with approximately 25% manganese content, is surplus to India’s domestic needs and holds potential for revenue from global markets.
CMD Shri Ajit Kumar Saxena praised the MOIL team for this milestone and underlined the importance of well-coordinated operations and strategic planning to make India a stronger player in global mineral trade. MOIL Limited (formerly Manganese Ore (India) Ltd), established in 1962 and headquartered in Nagpur, is India’s largest producer of manganese ore, contributing nearly half of the country’s total output.
A government “Miniratna Category‑I” company under the Ministry of Steel, MOIL operates around 10–11 mines across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, including major underground operations and the prominent Balaghat Mine, now over 380 meters deep. The company markets several manganese grades—high-grade for ferro-manganese, medium-grade for silico-manganese, blast-furnace type for hot metal, and manganese dioxide used in battery cells and fertilizers—meeting nearly half of India’s domestic demand for dioxide ore.
MOIL is actively expanding its footprint, investing in exploratory drilling and resource development both within its existing leases and in new states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. It is also exploring lithium and other critical minerals as part of future diversification plans. The company boasts facilities like a 1,500‑TPA electrolytic manganese dioxide plant and a 12,000‑TPA ferro‑manganese plant, supplemented by captive wind energy farms in Madhya Pradesh to support its focus on renewable power integration.
Financially, MOIL has seen steady growth in recent years. For example, in FY 2024–25 it reported record drilling figures (over 107,000 meters), increased its manganese ore output to around 18 lakh tonnes, and delivered strong earnings growth and consistent dividends to shareholders. Driven by its operational excellence, growing production base, resources expansion, and green energy initiatives, MOIL remains a leading player in India’s mining sector with ambitions to double its manganese output by 2030.
