KOLKATA: Coal India Ltd on Monday said it produced 773.6 million tonnes of the dry fuel in the 2023-24 fiscal, registering a 10-per cent growth over the previous year.

However, it fell short of the target by 6.4 million tonnes or nearly two days of production.

“This is the first time the company has recorded double-digit growth in two successive years since its inception. In volume terms, the output expanded by 70.4 million tonnes, the second-highest ever,” a company statement said.

The output of two subsidiaries – Northern Coalfields Ltd and Western Coalfields Ltd – failed to maintain momentum, registering a growth of 12.5 per cent and 9.1 per cent, respectively, in March compared to the corresponding period a year ago. This dragged the overall March growth of CIL’s production rate down to 6.1 per cent.

The overall coal production of 88.6 million tonnes in March 2024 was the highest ever for any month till date, the statement said.

While all the miner’s coal-producing arms recorded positive growth, five subsidiaries exceeded their respective annual targets for the second consecutive year, a CIL spokesperson said.