The iPhone maker’s contract manufacturers account for roughly three-fourths of the country’s smartphone exports, helping transform India into one of the world’s fastest-growing handset export hubs. Apple aims to ship most US-bound iPhones from India by year-end, reinforcing India’s position as the top maker of smartphones sold in the US. With nearly every smartphone sold in India now assembled locally, officials believe the initial incentive programme has largely met its goal of satisfying local demand, the people said. The new incentives are expected to dovetail with New Delhi’s Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme, which aims to promote domestic production of parts and sub-assemblies. Since the current PLI programme for smartphone assembly ends this month, companies have been seeking clarity for months on the new version of the incentive programme to draw up plans for India exports, one of the people said.

Source: The Edge Markets March 12, 2026 07:35 UTC