India`s annual coal demand rises 9.1% to nearly 1 billion tonnes: Minister

India's annual coal demand rose 9.1% to 991.35 million tonnes during the year ended March 2019, India's Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi told the country's parliament on Monday.

Coal is among the top five commodities imported by India, one of biggest importers of the fuel despite having the world's fifth largest reserves.

Consumption by India's utilities, which accounted for three-fourths of the total demand, rose 6.6% to 760.66 million tonnes, Joshi said in a written response to a question in the upper house of the parliament.

Imports rose to 235.24 million tonnes in 2018-19 from 208.27 million tonnes in 2017-18, Joshi said, adding that domestic supplies rose to 734.23 million tonnes during the year ended March 2019.

India's supply shortfall more than doubled to 23.35 million tonnes, mainly because of state-run Coal India's inability to cater to demand from the cement and sponge iron industries.

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