LONDON (Commodity Online): Mining giant Vedanta Resources on Thursday reported a 46.2 per cent decline in profit at $188.2 million for the six-month period ended September 30, 2009, impacted mainly by weak metal prices.

However, the firm anticipates recovery in metal prices in next few months on the back of demand generated by economic and industrial growth in India.

The company's attributable profit for the first half of the current fiscal stood at $188.2 million as against $350 million in the year-ago period, Vedanta Resources said in a statement.

The company is primarily into production of non-ferrous minerals like copper, zinc, aluminium. It recorded production growth across all segments.

Vedanta Resources declared an interim dividend of US 17.5 cents per share for the period under review.

The company posted a total revenue of $2.9 billion for the half-year period as against $3.9 billion a year ago.

Vedanta, which is India’s largest copper mining firm, has been heavily criticised in recent months for the impact its mining operations in India is having on local tribes.