JSW Steel output up 34pct in October

JSW Steel, the country's largest private sector steel maker by domestic capacity, on Thursday said its production rose by 34 per cent to 4.53 lakh tonnes in October on account of robust demand.

The company's crude steel production in October 2008 was 3.38 lakh tonnes, the steel maker said in a statement.

The output in October, however, was lower than that of September 2009, as "unprecedented and incessant rains" disrupted operations of its plant in Karnataka, it said.

"The production for October 2009 was lower sequentially due to unprecedented and incessant rains followed by floods in the southern part of India during the first week of the month disrupting the plant operations at Vijayanagar," it said, adding the plant is now operating normally."

Production of flat-rolled items, mainly used by auto and consumer durable industry, rose by 19 per cent to 2.96 lakh tonnes in October. JSW Steel produced 2.48 lakh tonnes of flat products in the same month last year.

Production of long-rolled steel products, primarily used by the construction sector, surged 145 per cent to 75,000 tonnes in the reporting month against the output of 30,000 tonnes a year ago.

JSW Steel, earlier this year, enhanced the capacity of its Vijaynagar plant to 6.8 million tonnes and is hopeful of achieving a 70-72 per cent jump in output in 2009-10.