Apple Fuels India’s Mobile Export Boom With 70 Per Cent Share In January, iPhone Shipments Hit Rs 1 Lakh Crore In 10 Months Of FY25

India’s mobile phone exports crossed Rs 25,000 crore in January 2025 and are expected to exceed Rs 1.8 lakh crore by the end of the fiscal year, marking a 40 per cent growth compared to last year, according to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), as reported by The Indian Express.

Apple Leads the Export Boom

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, introduced by the government in 2020 to boost large-scale electronics manufacturing, has been instrumental in this surge. A major contributor has been Apple, which has significantly expanded its iPhone assembly operations in India through its contract manufacturers.

Between April 2024 and January 2025, iPhone exports reached Rs 1 lakh crore, a sharp increase from Rs 60,000 crore in the same period last year. Apple accounted for 70 per cent of India’s mobile exports in January alone.

PLI Scheme Driving Growth

The PLI scheme, with an outlay of Rs 38,601 crore, provides incentives of 4 per cent to 6 per cent on net incremental sales of eligible products. This policy has helped mobile phones become India’s second-highest exported product, contributing $13.1 billion in exports between April and November 2024.

According to ICEA, mobile phone production in India has doubled since the launch of the PLI scheme, rising from Rs 2.2 lakh crore in Financial Year (FY)24 to Rs 4.22 lakh crore in FY25.

Key Beneficiaries of the PLI Scheme

The government has disbursed nearly $1 billion (Rs 8,700 crore) under the PLI scheme between 2022-23 and 2024-25. Three Apple contract manufacturers—Foxconn, Tata Electronics, and Pegatron—have received over 75 per cent of the total disbursement.

Besides Apple, Samsung has also been a major player in India’s export boom. Additionally, Dixon Technologies (Padget Electronics), a local contract manufacturer, has benefited from the scheme by producing smartphones for Xiaomi, Google, Samsung, and Motorola.

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