Monthly mobile phone exports from India touched the $1-billion mark for the first time ever in September, boosted by the government’s PLI scheme, which has pushed global players such as Apple and Samsung to increase local production for the domestic as well as overseas markets.
The estimated value of mobile phone exports in September 2022 showed a growth of more than 200% over September 2021. Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of handset industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), said, “To sustain this growth, we are focusing on driving competitiveness through lower tariffs, improved logistics, labour reforms and deepening of the ecosystem.”
The mobile phone exports for April-September more than doubled to $4.2 billion, from $1.7 billion in the corresponding period of 2021. Previously, the highest monthly export of cellphones was in December 2021, when $770 million worth devices were shipped.
According to ICEA data, exports of mobile phones constituted just around 1% of production in 2016-17, which increased to over 16% in 2021-22. This will rise to approximately 22% of production in 2022-23.
