KOLKATA | March 02, 2017: Coal IndiaBSE 0.44 % registered a healthy 6.5 per cent growth in coal production to clock 54.30 million tonnes in February, this year compared to 50.98 million tonnes achieved in the corresponding period, last year.

On the back of increased rake loading, coal off-take witnessed an almost five per cent expansion during the month to 47.73 million tonnes against 45.50 million tonnes registered in February, 2016, company officials said.

The increase in off-take in absolute terms has been 2.23 million tonnes.

However, the coal mining behemoth missed its projected output by four per cent during the month under review.

"We have been able to grow 6.5 per cent during February, 2017 in spite of having one working day less compared to February, 2016 which was a leap year," a Coal India official said.

The coal production increased by 10.78 million tonnes, or 2.3 per cent, during the first 11 months of the fiscal (April-February 2017) compared to April-February 2016.

Coal off-take was at 490.86 million tonnes ending February, 2017 of the current fiscal with a growth of 1.6 per cent.

The average rake loading per day increased by 20.4 rakes during February, 2017 registering a growth of 9 per cent. A total of 246.8 rakes per day were loaded by the CIL compared to 226.4 rakes per day during the corresponding month, last year.

(Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/)