LED Makers Want Ban on Chinese Lighting Product Imports

Light emitting diode (LED) makers from India want a complete ban on import of Chinese lights into the country. The manufacturers have approached the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY), seeking relief in this matter.
BY Realty Plus
Published - Monday, 22 Mar, 2021

Light emitting diode (LED) makers from India want a complete ban on import of Chinese lights into the country. The manufacturers have approached the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY), seeking relief in this matter. If India wants to become ‘Atmanirbhar’ or self-reliant, the LED makers want to fully depend on goods made in the country. Chinese lights are inferior in quality and hence priced significantly cheaper. This is impacting their business. The Indian LED lighting market is estimated to be Rs 10,500 crore, growing at 10-12 percent every year. Large players in the LED lighting market include Havells, Bajaj Electricals, Crompton Greaves Consumer, Wipro Lighting and Philips. The price difference is stark. A regular 9-watt LED bulb manufactured by known brands, costs between Rs 85-90 per piece while those manufactured in China are priced at Rs 20-22, despite the duty. While the Rs 6,238 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme approved by the government, has been set aside for the white goods category, the exact breakup for LED lighting is not yet known. LED makers said that while this scheme will benefit existing manufacturers to expand their production facility, there is no disincentive against importing from China. The manufacturers have also sought a special financial incentive to produce components for lighting products, which has not been allocated by the government.