Smartphones become India’s top export in first 10 months of FY25: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: In a historic achievement, smartphones emerged as India’s largest export category in the first 10 months of FY25 — marking a major success story under the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said on Thursday.

He credited the decade-long partnership between the government and industry for this feat, noting that in FY14, smartphones were ranked as India’s 167th export category — a sharp contrast to their number 1 position today.

“Smartphone PLI scheme reaches new highs: Smartphones emerged as India’s largest export in first 10 months of FY25. In FY14, smartphone exports were ranked 167th. Number 1 position is result of a 10-year government-industry partnership,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

The Union Minister also said that smartphone exports had touched a record Rs 2 lakh crore, highlighting the transformative shift in India’s electronics manufacturing ecosystem.

Calling it a record-breaking moment, Vaishnaw, in his X post, said that this achievement reflects the growth of global value chains (GVCs) within India and the rising contribution of domestic firms to global supply networks.

The smartphone sector’s rapid ascent has also translated into lakhs of new jobs, especially for women, and expanding opportunities for Indian MSMEs, as the PLI scheme deepens local value addition.

According to earlier industry reports, smartphone exports had already crossed Rs 1.75 lakh crore between April 2024 and February 2025 — driven by robust global demand and strategic shifts by tech giants.

The growth is being largely credited to the PLI scheme, which has enabled India to not only boost exports but also dramatically reduce dependence on imports.

Currently, about 99 per cent of the smartphones sold in the country are manufactured domestically.

Apple has been the single largest contributor to India’s smartphone exports, with iPhones accounting for nearly 70 per cent of total shipments.

Earlier report suggests that the company’s key suppliers — Foxconn in Tamil Nadu and Tata Electronics via Wistron and Pegatron units — have played an instrumental role in ramping up output.

Foxconn alone contributed around 50 per cent of the total exports, recording a 40 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth.

IANS