V. Subramanian, Director V.V. Mineral Talks About Hurdles In The Beach Mineral Mining Sector

According to Mr. V Subramanian, the hurdles faced by the company can be divided on basis of market segments.


Mining And Import-Export: The export duty on ilmenite is very high which leads to uncompetitive prospects in the global markets. No other nation imposes export duty on ilmenite.

Lack Of Port Infrastructure: Most of the mineral operations are in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. We don't have port that's deeper than 11 - 13 meters.  This makes us ship in small ships, making the freight more expensive. Proximity of the mineral sands deposits to the ports are also an issue as this raises the transportation cost substantially.  Lack of sufficient power, which again makes our own captive generation using diesel generators very expensive, almost thrice the cost of Grid power.

In Terms Of Mining: Abnormal delay in getting approvals for Mineral Concession. Delay in getting mining plan approval/Scheme Approval from Indian Bureau of Mines as well as Atomic Minerals Directorate. Delay in getting CRZ Clearance from government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forest. Delay in getting Environmental Clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest.

In terms Of Processing: Laws framed by the government to protect coastal Processing units actually have not taken the interest of the beach mineral industry into account.

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