"India’s coal demand would be 696 mt in the next fiscal year to March 2012 and the country will need to import about 142 mt to bridge a supply shortfall", said Sriprakash Jaiswal Coal Minister. India’s coal imports may fall this fiscal due to high global prices triggered by the floods in Australia, Jaiswal had said recently, which could impact power generation and earnings of steel, power and cement firms. India produced 526.16 mt of coal in 2009-10, up 6.78 per cent from 492.76 mt of coal in the previous year. Imports of coal were 73.25 mt in 2009-10, up 24 per cent from 59 mt in the previous year.