India, March 23 -- The country's coal imports dropped 4.2 per cent to 213.10 million tonnes (MT) in the April-January period of the current fiscal year and with seaborne prices showing an uptick, imports are likely to remain subdued in the near term.

The decline underscores the country's push towards self-reliance in coal production amid surging domestic output, even as global thermal coal prices firm up due to supply constraints and geopolitical tensions.

According to data compiled by Mjunction Services Ltd, a B2B e-commerce platform and joint venture of SAIL and Tata Steel, during the April-January period of the current financial year, non-coking coal import was at 127.80 MT, lower than 141.18 MT imported during the same period last f...