By Sohrab Darabshaw
The inevitable has happened.
For some months now, copper industry experts in India have been predicting India would become a net importer of copper during this fiscal year.
For the first time in 18 years, India turned into a net copper importer. The primary factor behind the shift is the permanent closure of Sterlite's 400,000 ton per annum smelter in South India from May 2018.
Two other major players, along with Sterlite, dominated primary copper production in India: state-owned Hindustan Copper and privately-held Hindalco Limited