India’s copper imports have surged sharply over the past decade as rising demand from electric vehicles, renewable energy, power infrastructure and electronics manufacturing continues to outpace domestic production capacity. Trade data shows copper imports climbed from ₹22,856 crore in FY17 to more than ₹1.03 trillion in FY26 up to February, marking an increase of over 350%.
Industry experts said India’s growing dependence on imported copper reflects structural weaknesses in the domestic copper ecosystem, including stagnant mining activity, limited refining investments, ageing mines and high financing costs. According to International Copper Association India, domestic copper demand rose from around 1.1 million tonnes in FY18 to nearly 1.8 million tonnes by FY25, while production declined to nearly 600,000 tonnes during the same period.
India, once a net exporter of copper cathodes, has now turned into a net importer as demand from clean energy projects, electric mobility, data centres and infrastructure expansion accelerates. Analysts said imports are also increasing due to duty-free inflows under free trade agreements with countries such as Japan, ASEAN members and the UAE, creating pressure on domestic refiners.
Industry players are now calling for stronger policy support, faster mining expansion and new refining capacity to reduce import dependence and strengthen India’s long-term copper supply chain amid growing industrial demand.