Cellphone shipments hit record $1 billion in September as subsidy scheme spurs Apple and Samsung output

Representative Image REUTERS/Rafael Marchante - RC11A1B8A9C0

India clocked $1 billion (over Rs 8,200 crore) in mobile phone exports for the first time in September, The Economic Times reported, as shipments grew more than 200 percent over a year ago with the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme spurring local production at global players such as Apple and Samsung.

Previously, December 2021 recorded the highest monthly export at $770 million.

Moreover, exports more than doubled to $4.2 billion in the six months to September 2022.

ET reported that, from June through August, exports averaged almost $700 million each month.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

"To sustain this growth, we are focusing on driving competitiveness through lower tariffs, improved logistics, labour reforms and deepening of the ecosystem," Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), told ET.

In 2016–17, only over 1% of mobile phone production was exported, but that rose to almost 16% in 2021–22, as per ICEA data. This will increase to almost 22% of production in 2022–2023, the group predicts.

The PLI plan for smartphones launched in 2020 intended to lure manufacturers away from production hubs like China and Vietnam.