Piyush Goyal Says Apple Wants to Raise Its iPhone Production in India

Apple wants India to account for up to 25 percent of its production from about 5 percent – 7 percent now, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told a conference on Monday, as the iPhone maker continues to move its manufacturing away from China. 

“Apple, another success story,” Piyush Goyal said, pitching India as a competitive manufacturing destination. “They are already at about 5-7 percent of their manufacturing in India. If I am not mistaken, they are targeting to go up to 25 percent of their manufacturing. They launched the most recent models from India, manufactured in India.” 

Goyal did not say when Apple wants to meet the target. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Cupertino, California-based Apple has bet big on India since it began iPhone assembly in the country in 2017 via Wistron and later with Foxconn, in line with the Indian government’s push for local manufacturing. 

Foxconn plans to quadruple the workforce at its iPhone factory in India over two years, sources told Reuters late last year. 

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Indian’s electronics and information technology minister, tweeted on Monday that Apple’s exports from India had hit $1 billion (about Rs. 8,141 crore) in December. 

China’s COVID-related lockdowns and restrictions, and rising trade and geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington, have influenced Apple’s plans to shift production elsewhere. 

J.P.Morgan analysts estimated last year that a quarter of all Apple products would be made outside China by 2025, from 5 percent currently.