The Government of India has designated MOIL (Manganese Ore India Ltd.) as a State Trading Enterprise (STE) for the export of manganese ore fines with grade below 46 % Mn. Under this arrangement, all exports of such low-grade manganese ore must be routed through MOIL. The first consignment of 54,600 tonnes of ore fines, was shipped on 22 August 2025 from Visakhapatnam to Indonesia, under back-to-back arrangements with domestic suppliers. Since India has surplus low-grade manganese ore beyond its domestic demand, allowing exports helps monetise this excess inventory and strengthen India’s presence in the global raw materials trade.
The move positions MOIL as a centralized export gateway that can improve transparency, price discovery, quality control, and strategic leverage in global mineral markets. It also ensures that India captures greater value from surplus low-grade ore without fragmentary export routes.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India ensure that routing low-grade manganese exports through MOIL as an STE does not create bottlenecks or rent-seeking, and how should pricing, procurement, and stakeholder participation be managed to balance producer interests and strategic goals?
Follow the full news here: PIB Release – MOIL Starts Export of Manganese Ore as STE
