Ahead of the budget, aluminium producers have sought steps from the government to hike import duty on primary aluminum, scrap and downstream products and rationalise costs of raw materials. Industry bodies such as the Aluminium Association ofIndia (AAI) and FICCI have informed the government that the aluminium sector of the country is going through a challenging phase and is under immense threat by rising imports, declining domestic market share, rising production and logistics costs. Moreover, non-competitive energy costs and acute coal shortage for the industry have adversely hit the sustainability of the aluminium ... (full story)