but it never ceases to amaze me that for a central bank in Central America or Southern Africa it makes sense economically to by their coins from pretty far away:
That amazes me as well.India has given contracts to many foreign mints to strike our coins-Mexico,Slovakia, Birmingham,Pretoria,S.Korea,Moscow..to name a few.It must not be a viable deal for any country,I suppose.
In last few years,Indian mints have increased their capacity.For last 10 years,not a single tender has been given to any foreign mint

Aditya