Imports of laptops and tablets were over $4 billion this year under the management system

With the deadline for reviewing the import management system for laptops and other IT products approaching, enterprises that have gained authorisations have imported these products totalling more than $4 billion this fiscal year, according to an official.

These imports totalled $8.4 billion in 2023-24, with China accounting for the vast majority of them, according to the official.

In October of last year, the government implemented import management/authorisation for laptops, personal computers, and certain other IT hardware devices. The technology is designed to monitor inbound shipments of these items entering the country without disrupting market supply.

Importers may apply for numerous authorisations, which will be valid until September 30, 2024. Authorisations will be provided for any number of consignments of imports till September.

On November 1, 2023, the government approved over 100 petitions, including those of Apple, Dell, and Lenovo, seeking approval for importation of various IT gear products valued approximately $10 billion, on the first day of the new system’s operation.

“Last year, imports totalled $8.4 billion out of $10 billion in approvals. So far this fiscal year, imports have totalled around $4-5 billion, according to the official.

When asked about the intentions after the validity period expires on September 30, the official stated that the commerce ministry will fully support the Meity’s (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) stance.

The new licensing scheme applies to laptops, personal computers (including tablet computers), microcomputers, large or mainframe computers, and some data processing machines in order to maintain India’s trusted supply chain.

The country imported personal computers, including laptops, worth $5.33 billion in 2022-23, compared to $7.37 billion in 2021-22.

The primary countries from which these items were imported in 2022-23 were China ($ 5.11 billion), Singapore ($ 1.4 billion), Hong Kong ($ 807 million), the United States, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Vietnam.