Xiaomi, Oppo to import smartphones from China to meet India demand amid factory challenges

Kolkata/Bengaluru/New Delhi: Electronics goods companies have had to resort to imports to meet demand as they haven’t been able to scale up local production even after the lockdown was eased last month. They include India’s two largest smartphone makers, Xiaomi and Oppo, which have decided to import handsets from China, although they had set up local production facilities more than three years ago, three senior industry executives said.

In import-dependent categories such as laptops and dishwashers, where sales have surged manifold, companies have expanded imports two-four times in the past few weeks. The main reasons are non-availability of migrant labour, closure of plants due to coronavirus infections and the inability to scale up production due to distancing norms within plants, said people with knowledge of the matter.