In a public address on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to stop using foreign-made products and instead embrace locally manufactured goods. This call for a self-reliant campaign comes at a time of strained trade relations with the United States.
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of a 50% tariff on imported Indian goods, Modi has been promoting the use of “Swadeshi,” or “made-in-India” products. His supporters have launched campaigns to boycott popular American brands, including Apple, which have a large presence in the country.
“A lot of products we use daily are foreign-made; we just don’t know… we will have to get rid of them,” Modi said in a national address ahead of Monday’s implementation of widespread consumer tax cuts. “We should buy products that are made in India,” he added, without explicitly naming any country.
With a population of 1.4 billion, India represents a major market for American consumer goods, many of which are purchased from U.S. online retailer Amazon.com. Over the years, the reach of American brands has extended deep into India’s smaller towns. Modi also asked shopkeepers to focus on retailing “made-in-India” products, arguing that this would boost the country’s economic growth. In recent weeks, many companies have increased their promotion of local goods.
India’s Commerce Minister, Piyush Goyal, is expected to visit Washington soon for trade talks, a trip that will take place amidst efforts to ease the bilateral tensions.
