India electronics exports to US jump over two-fold to $6.6B in Jan-Sep 2023: ICEA

Electronics exports from India to the US jumped over two-fold year-on-year to $6.6 billion during January-September 2023, industry body ICEA has said.

India Cellular and Electronics Association Chairman Pankaj Mahindroo told PTI that this is an all-time high electronics export from India, while the share of electronics imported from China into the US market has declined.

"Recent data highlights a notable surge in India's electronics exports to the US, which increased by approximately 253% to an estimated $6.6 billion in the current year (January-September), compared to an estimated $2.6 billion in the same period last year," Mohindroo said.

According to data shared by ICEA, India's electronics exports to the US increased by more than 300% from an estimated $1.3 billion in 2018 to an estimated $4.5 billion in 2022.

The bilateral electronics trade between India and the US has also seen an impressive rise of 84%, with the current estimate standing at $9 billion during January-September 2023 from an estimated $4.9 billion in the same period preceding fiscal.

In August 2023, ICEA launched the Indo-US Task Force for Electronics with a mission to increase the bilateral electronics trade from $8.4 billion in the last fiscal to an ambitious $100 billion in a decade.

"The Indo-US Task Force for Electronics is not just about numbers. It's about setting a precedent. With the current trade estimated at $9 billion in 9 months, we have seen good improvement. Our goal now is to capitalise on this momentum and significantly elevate our position in the US electronics market," Indo-US Task Force on Electronics Chairman RS Sharma said.

The share of electronics imports from China into the US has decreased from an estimated 46% in 2018 to an estimated 24% in January-September 2023. 2018 was the year when 25% tariffs on many Chinese goods were imposed by the US. These are famously known as the 'Trump Tariffs'.

Meanwhile, Vietnam and Taiwan have experienced the most significant rise among exporting countries from 2018 to 2022, their exports to the US soared 420 % and 239%, respectively.

Mohindroo said the US has really walked the talk on this critical geopolitical issue by diversifying supply chains.

"The surge in India's electronics exports to the US highlights our potential in the global electronics market. This strategic partnership has the profound potential to shape the global electronics trade. A particularly promising area is smartphone exports, where we see the potential for 5x growth in the next 3-5 years," he said.