INVC NEWS
New Delhi — : India is home to a massive stockpile of rare earth minerals, and now the government is finally gearing up to use it. After China blocked rare earth exports recently, countries worldwide are scrambling for alternatives—and India is ready to act. The Indian government is planning to stop exporting rare earths to Japan and focus on domestic production to reduce dependence on China.
China currently controls around 90% of global rare earth production, which has created panic in tech and defense sectors. India ranks 5th globally in rare earth reserves but lags far behind in production. According to reports, Indian officials have told IREL (Indian Rare Earths Limited) to pause a 13-year-old export deal with Japan and boost local output.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal has already met with IREL executives to push for production. But there’s a catch—India lacks the technology and infrastructure for large-scale mining and processing. IREL has proposed four new units, but they’re still waiting for approvals.
India holds around 6.9 million tons of rare earth reserves, but its current production is just 2,900 tons per year, while imports touch 53,000+ tons annually. Most of it comes from China, the US, and Japan. Key mining zones include Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, MP, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.
Rare earths like Neodymium, Cerium, Lanthanum, and Praseodymium are used in electric vehicles, magnets, solar panels, mobile phones, and advanced defense systems. These minerals are mainly found in coastal sands and a few inland belts.
India’s silent stockpile of rare earths may soon power the world—if it can build the tools to dig it up.
