Manganese

• Manganese reserves in India are satisfactory and abundant in the Dharwar and Kuddapa series of the Pre-Cambrian era, similar to iron ore.
• It is not found as a free element in nature and is often found in combination with iron.
• The most important manganese ore is pyrolusite.
• Manganese is primarily used in the iron and steel industry as the basic raw material for manufacturing steel alloys. 6kgs of manganese ore is required for manufacturing one tonne of steel.
• Manganese is also used in the manufacturing of bleaching powder, insecticides, paints, and batteries.

Manganese Ore Distribution in India

• India has the second largest manganese reserves in the world after Zimbabwe, with 430 million tonnes.
• India is the world’s fifth-largest producer of manganese after China, Gabon, South Africa, and Australia.
• Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are the major manganese ore-producing states in India.
• Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh together produce more than half of India’s manganese.

State Wise Reserves of Manganese

• Odisha:
  • Orissa is one of the largest producers of this mineral, found in Sundergarh district and Keonjhar district mainly. (Previously Keonjhar district alone produced 1/4th of the total production of the country).
  • Apart from these, two districts Kalahandi and Koraput Districts are also important producers of manganese.
• Karnataka:
  • About 10.92 percent of India’s manganese.
  • Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Bellary, Chitradurga, and Tumkur districts.
• Madhya Pradesh:
  • Produces about 27% of India’s manganese ore.
  • The main belt extends in Balaghat and Chhindwara districts.
  • It an extension of the Nagpur Bhandara belt of Maharashtra.
• Maharashtra:
  • Produces about 25% of Indian manganese.
  • The main belt is in Nagpur and Bhandara districts.
  • High-grade ore is found in the Ratnagiri district also.
• Andhra Pradesh:
  • About 9.71% of India’s manganese production.
  • Srikakulam and Vishakhapatnam districts.
  • Srikakulam district has the distinction of being the earliest producer (1892) of manganese ore in India.
  • Cuddapah, Vijayanagaram, and Guntur are other manganese-producing districts.
• Other areas:
  • Goa
  • Panchmahals and Vadodara in Gujarat
  • Udaipur and Banswara in Rajasthan and
  • Singhbhum and Dhanbad districts in Jharkhand

Export of Manganese

• Four-fifths of the total production is consumed domestically.
• Exports constantly decreasing due to increasing domestic demand.
• Japan is the largest buyer of Indian manganese.
• The other buyers are the USA, UK, Germany, France, Norway.