New Delhi (Sputnik) — In a bid to protect domestic manufacturers, India has imposed a 25% safeguard duty on solar cell imports for the next year, according to a government order published on Monday. The safeguard duty will not be imposed on imports from developing countries, except China and Malaysia.
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The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in its report submitted to the finance ministry last month noted that imports were taking place at very low prices resulting in drop in sales realization of domestic industry thereby hampering the domestic industry's ability to compete and make and sell the solar cells/modules, without making a direct reference to dumping.
Indian solar cell and module manufacturers have claimed that cheap Chinese imports are hurting the domestic industry, though Chinese manufacturers claim that cheaper solar panels have provided a major fillip to India's solar power mission.
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The Indian government hopes that the safeguard duty would not only lead to mitigation of serious injury to the domestic solar cell/module manufacturers, but would also improve the viability of the upstream and downstream industry associated in the value chain of the manufacturing of solar cells /modules.