Apple is continuously working towards expanding its operations in the country and the central government along with MeITY is in regular touch with the tech giant to support its business, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Piyush Goyal has said.
He said that the electronics industry works like this: first, they put a basic set up and then they keep sourcing different components to add into their ecosystem, says a report by news agency PTI.
"Apple is continuously expanding their operations in India... We are in regular touch with the Apple, MeITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) is also in touch with them... We hand-hold them because in a way, the eyes of the whole world are fixed on Apple," Goyal was quoted as saying by PTI when asked about Apple's plan to start a full-fledged manufacturing unit in India.
The iPhone maker currently gets iPhone models assembled in India through contract manufacturers and partners Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron. The minister has earlier stated that India's exports of mobile and electronics goods have doubled in the last year.
"Apple itself has exported about USD 5 billion worth of goods last year from India and they are planning to have 25 per cent of their global production coming out of India in the next 4 or 5 years," the minister was quoted by PTI as saying.
India's iPhone exports crossed Rs 40,000 crore in FY23
It is pertinent to note that India's iPhone exports jumped almost four times to cross $5 billion or more than Rs 40,000 crore in FY 2023, in the wake of increased local production of Apple iPhone models. The overall smartphone exports from India also crossed $10 billion for the first time in a FY, with South Korean tech giant Samsung exporting smartphones worth around $3.5-$4 billion in FY 2023, a recent ET Telecom report said, citing industry and trade data.
Apple to open its official stores in Mumbai, Delhi this month
Meanwhile, Apple has also officially announced the opening dates of its stores in Mumbai and Delhi, marking a significant retail expansion in the country. The new stores, Apple BKC in Mumbai and Apple Saket in Delhi, will open their doors to customers on April 18 and 20, respectively. Apple BKC, as the name suggests, will be located at the Bandra Kurla Complex (at the Jio World Drive Mall, to be specific) in South Mumbai, while Apple Saket will be located in South Delhi's Saket.