Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Ltd., has stressed the urgent need to scale up India’s mineral production by increasing output from existing mining assets, particularly in copper and gold.
“If the world wants to ramp up mineral production in the short term, there is only one way: maximise output from existing assets. New projects take 5 to 10 years to deliver,” Mr. Agarwal said in a social media post.
He highlighted India’s heavy import dependence, noting that the country imports nearly 99.9% of its gold and around 95% of its copper, despite the presence of domestic assets that remain under-producing or dormant, many of which are under government ownership.
At current global price levels, Mr. Agarwal argued that there is a strong case for encouraging private participation to accelerate production. “Take a plunge. It is the fastest way to achieve self-reliance,” he said, emphasising that boosting mineral output should be treated as a national priority.
Reviving production from existing assets, he noted, would require focused investment, technology deployment, and operational expertise. “All it needs is entrepreneurial energy, investment, and technology,” he said.
Referring to former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, he added, “It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice,” underscoring the need for a practical, outcome-driven approach.
These remarks come amid growing attention on securing critical mineral supplies to support manufacturing, infrastructure, and energy transition requirements in India.