Nickel is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Ni. It is making up 0.008% of the Earth's crust and is the fifth most common element in the earth. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is found predominantly in two types of deposits: sulfides and laterites. Around 70 per cent of the world’s nickel resources are contained in laterite ores, yet world’s nickel production predominantly comes from sulphide ores.

Major producers of Nickel are Russia, followed by Australia, Canada, New Caledonia and Indonesia, which represents over 65% of total world production. Australia has substantial nickel resources, followed by Cuba & Canada. Emerging economies such as India and China play a major role in the growth of global nickel industry along with developed countries such as US, UK and Germany, as these countries have larger presence of automotive and aviation industries.

India does not produce nickel, as there are no sulphide deposits in the country and mainly depends on imports for its consumption. The only source of producing the metals is with that of lateritic oxides, which is available in Sukhinda valley, in the state of Orissa. 85% of India’s imports are in the form of unwrought nickel. Russia is the main supplier of nickel to India and contributes nearly half of its imports, followed by Canada with 9% and Brazil with 7%.