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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1945
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 10TH MARCH 2026
Dependence on China for APIs
1945 Ms. Dola Sen:
Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state:
(a) the list of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for which imports from China accounted
for 70 per cent or more of India’s total imports in 2023-24 and 2024-25, along with the
corresponding import values;
(b) the domestic demand and installed capacity for these high-dependence APIs and if any
capacity additions approved and commissioned since 2020; and
(c) the progress under the PLI scheme specifically for APIs, number of projects, capacities
created and incentives disbursed?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND
FERTILIZERS
(SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)
(a): The list of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) for which imports from China
accounted for 70 percent or more of India’s total imports in FY2023-24 and FY2024-25, along
with the corresponding import values is placed at Annexure-I.
(b): The domestic demand for high-dependence APIs is dynamic and driven by the requirements
of the formulation industry for both domestic consumption and exports. Installed capacity for
these APIs is primarily within the private sector. Since 2020, through various policy
interventions such as the Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks and the Production Linked
Incentive (PLI) Schemes, the Government has facilitated the creation of an ecosystem for
domestic manufacturing. Under the PLI Scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of
critical Key Starting Materials (KSMs) /Drug Intermediates (DIs) and Active Pharmaceutical
Ingredients (APIs) in India (commonly known as “PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs’), domestic
manufacturing capacity of approximately 56,800 MT per annum has been established for 28 out
of 41 identified critical products. The list of these 28 products is placed at Annexure-II. As of
December 2025, 38 greenfield projects covering 28 notified products have been commissioned
under the Scheme.
(c): Out of 41 products notified under PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs, 33 products have been
subscribed. A total of 48 greenfield projects has been approved under the Scheme, covering these33 notified products, with an aggregate committed investment of ₹4,329.95 crore. Against this
commitment, actual investment of ₹4,814.1 crore has already been achieved.
As of December 2025, 38 projects (out of 48 approved projects) covering 28 products
(out of 33 subscribed products) have been commissioned, resulting in establishment of domestic
manufacturing capacity of approximately 56,800 MT per annum for identified critical products.
The scheme has resulted in cumulative sales of ₹2,720 crore reported till December 2025,
including exports of ₹527.96 crore, thereby avoiding imports worth ₹2,192.04 crore. The Scheme
has also generated employment for 4,896 employment persons till December, 2025
As of December 2025, a total incentive of ₹54.81 crore has been disbursed to the eligible
applicants.Annexure-I
Annexure referred to in the reply to part (a) of Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1945, to be answered on 10.3.2026
HS DESCRIPTION Import from China Import from China
CODE China FY2023- Dependence (in China Dependence
24 Value (in %) FY2023-24 FY2024-25 (in %)
USD Mn) Value (in USD FY2024-25
Mn)
29419013 RIFA OR RIFA S SODIUM (RIFAINT) 8.37 100.00 15.44 100.00
29214236 METHYL DOPA (L-ALPHA METHYL-3, 4- 13.75 100.00 12.16 100.00
DIHYDROXYPHENYLA
29420026 CYSTEANUNE HCL 2.49 100.00 2.85 100.00
29359014 SULPHADIMIDINE 1.76 100.00 1.44 100.00
29359024 SULPHAMIDE 1.15 100.00 0.83 100.00
29419060 NORFLOXACIN AND ITS SALTS 3.60 99.99 12.31 99.90
29124940 3,4,5-TRIMETHOXY-BENZALDEHYEDE 1.09 100.00 0.40 99.88
29412010 STREPTOMYCINS 2.18 99.91 4.64 99.86
29419040 GENTAMYCIN AND ITS SALTS 8.04 99.86 8.51 99.72
29413020 TETRACYCLINE/OXYTETRA - CYCLINE AND 10.75 99.84 11.40 99.65
HR SALTS
29420016 D (-) PARA HYDROXY DANES SALTS 21.02 99.91 27.20 99.54
29242910 ACETANILIDE 12.26 99.85 13.38 99.47
29420011 CEFADROXIL 1.08 99.21 1.69 99.05
29171970 ETH0XY METHYLENE MAL0NATE, DIETHYL 19.77 99.93 19.34 98.13
MAL0NATE
29420015 DANES SALT OF D (-) PHENYL GLYCINE 18.07 98.06 19.03 100.00
29335200 MALONYLUREA (BARBITURIC ACID) AND 5.36 98.00 4.58 100.00
ITS SALS
29419050 NEOMYCIN 3.69 99.67 2.48 97.48
29224910 AMINO ACETIC ACID (GLYCINE) 13.83 97.66 25.49 99.25
29419030 CIPROFLOXACINE AND ITS SALTS 8.16 97.98 9.33 98.02
29262000 1-CYANOGUANIDINE(DICYANDIAMIDE) 76.58 97.95 70.45 97.9429414000 CHLORAMPHENICOL AND ITS DERIVATIVES 3.08 97.81 2.42 96.99
SALTS THEREOF
29379019 OTHER 4.68 97.33 5.71 95.16
29372100 CORTISONE, HYDROCORTISONE, 41.12 96.48 37.67 95.41
PREDNISONE (DEHY-DROCORTISONE) AND F
29182110 SALICYLIC ACID 23.88 95.22 24.54 96.16
29415000 ERTHROMYCIN AND ITS DERIVATIVES 153.75 93.04 166.31 97.65
SALTS THEREOF
29411050 6 – APA 396.51 94.08 407.64 95.92
29333100 PYRIDINE AND ITS SALTS 29.13 93.64 22.89 94.95
29362610 VITAMIN B12 (CYNOCOBALAMIN) 31.32 92.62 25.33 93.82
29332920 METRONIDAZOLE METRONIDIAZOLE 8.14 94.46 10.04 91.73
BENZOATE
29362290 OTHER VITAMIN B1I AND ITS DRIVATIVES 3.03 95.47 3.08 88.85
29420032 CIMETIDINE 0.85 98.49 0.55 84.48
29420012 IBUPROFANE 10.48 99.34 6.43 80.73
29411030 AMOXYCILLINE AND ITS SALTS 42.22 90.00 37.96 88.29
29419011 RIFAMPICIN 8.14 89.17 39.61 89.01
29419090 OTHER ANTIBIOTICS 730.01 88.39 694.26 88.15
29411020 AMPICILLINE AND ITS SALTS 0.71 78.41 0.38 97.33
29224100 LYSINE AND ITS ESTERS SALTS THEREOF 93.40 85.32 120.82 89.13
29333916 BETA PIC0LINE (3-METHYL PYRIDINE) 10.86 82.71 13.85 90.61
29362700 VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID) AND ITS 21.48 82.45 22.35 87.76
DERIVATIVES
29411010 PENICILLINS AND ITS SALTS 192.15 77.03 215.51 92.87
29362210 VITAMIN B1I (THIAMINE, ANEURINE) AND 10.18 85.32 15.59 81.77
ITS SALT
29332990 OTHER COMPNDS CNTNG AN UNFUSED 64.00 81.69 66.36 82.33
IMIDAZOLE RING (W/N HYDROGENATED
29331999 OTHER 223.72 76.14 139.67 79.63
29420090 OTHER DILOXANIDE FUROATE, CIMETIDINE, 250.40 75.29 262.11 78.96
FAMOTIDINE NES
29362500 VITAMIN B6 AND ITS DERIVATIVES 7.69 63.50 12.83 88.28
29333918 LUTIDINE (DIMETHYLE PYRIDINE) 0.03 50.00 2.98 100.0029183030 NALIDIXIC ACID 0.05 50.00 0.72 100.00
29263000 FENPROPOREX (INN) AND ITS SALTS 0.00 50.00 0.00 100.00
29241100 MEPROBAMATE (INN) 0.00 50.00 2.03 100.00
29331920 1(2:5 DCHLR-4-SLPHPHNYL)-3-METHYL-5- 2.25 50.00 0.16 99.43
PYRAZLN
29331940 PHENYL-METHYL PYRAZOLONE 0.00 50.00 0.82 99.29
29335400 OTHER DERIVATIVES OF MALONYLUREA 0.15 49.83 0.31 99.43
(BARBITURIC ACID)
29181610 CALCIUM GLUCONATE 0.01 48.64 9.05 99.86
29331980 OXYPHENBUTAZONE 0.00 50.00 0.01 97.90
29371100 SOMATOTROPIN, ITS DERIVATIVES AND 0.01 50.00 0.01 96.79
STRUCTURAL ANALOGUES
29215120 M-PHENYLENEDIAMINE (M- 0.04 46.74 4.02 98.72
DIAMINOBENZENE)
29335910 AMINOPHYLLINE(CORDOPHYLIN) 0.08 49.99 0.76 95.44
29372900 OTHR STEROIDAL HORMONES THEIR 101.22 77.00 73.98 68.21
DERIVATIVES AND STRUCTURAL
ANALOGUES
29331970 ANALGIN 0.75 46.67 4.33 96.29
29333929 Other 13.84 75.51 11.71 66.48
29215110 O- PHENYLENEDIAMINE 1.18 47.56 14.83 94.05
29225015 L-TYROSINE(P-HYDROXYPHENYLAMINE) 0.01 50.00 2.64 91.13
29335940 1 - AMINO-4METHYL PIPERAZINE 0.01 49.73 0.01 90.64
29362950 VITAMIN H (BI0LIN) 1.19 67.40 0.93 71.22
29331910 3-CARBOXY (PARA SLPHPHNYL)-5 0.10 49.05 0.13 89.54
PYRAZOLONE
29379020 AMINO-ACID DERIVATIVES 1.97 55.67 9.07 82.29
29395900 OTHER THEOPHYLLINE AND 1.52 63.12 3.08 73.86
AMINOPHYLLINE THEIR DERIVATIVES,
SALTS
29163400 PHENYLACETIC ACID AND ITS SALTS 0.00 29.57 5.79 99.94
29225021 FRUSEMIDE 0.02 40.10 0.36 85.43
29329300 PIPERAN0L 0.11 28.53 2.53 92.62
29333200 PIPERIDINE AND ITS SALTS 0.08 13.84 6.80 96.0429331100 PHENAZONE (ANTIPYRIN) AND ITS 0.00 10.41 1.22 98.47
DERIVATIVES
29359011 SULPHAMETHOXAZOLE 0.02 25.14 0.02 82.72
29332910 TINIDAZOLE 0.00 9.76 0.33 96.80
29224920 N-METHYL TAURINE 0.08 23.49 1.00 82.32
29181120 CALCIUM LACTATE 0.00 2.11 0.37 98.86
29331960 1-(M-SULPHOPHENYL)-3-PYRAZOLONE 0.00 0.00 0.28 100.00
29335920 TRIMETHOPRIM 0.00 0.01 0.25 99.65
29332950 ALBENDAZOLE 0.01 0.44 1.53 98.94
29224210 GLUTAMIC ACID 0.00 15.19 0.59 83.50
29154010 MONOCHLOROACETIC ACID, THEIR SALTS 0.13 12.91 1.96 85.75
AND ESTERS
29419014 1 - AMINO -4 - METHYL PIPERAZINE 0.00 0.00 0.07 98.01
(RIFAINT)
29095010 GUAIACOL 0.00 2.26 1.87 95.51
29225013 PROCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE 0.00 0.00 0.02 96.46
29359013 SULPHADIAZINE 0.00 0.44 0.61 88.08
29231000 CHOLINE AND ITS SALTS 0.13 9.29 2.31 78.93
29051410 ETHAMBUTOL, ETHAMBUTOL 0.00 2.27 3.70 82.23
HYDROCHLORIDE
29333911 AMINO PYRIDINE 0.03 2.07 7.51 80.22
29182310 METHYL SALICYLATE 0.00 0.01 1.11 81.07
29332100 HYDANTOIN AND ITS DERIVATIVES 0.00 0.02 2.86 71.69
(Source: DGCI&S)Annexure-II
Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1945, to
be answered on 10.3.2026
S. No. Name of product being manufactured
1 Penicillin G
2 Clavulanic Acid
3 Rifampicin
4 Dexamethasone
5 Prednisolone
6 1,1 Cyclohexane Diacetic Acid (CDA)
7 Dicyandiamide (DCDA)
8 Para Amino Phenol
9 Aspirin
10 Diclofenac Sodium
11 Losartan
12 Olmesartan
13 Sulfadiazine
14 Telmisartan
15 Artesunate
16 Atorvastatin
17 Carbamazepine
18 Oxcarbazepine
19 Ofloxacin
20 Norfloxacin
21 Vitamin B6
22 Carbidopa
23 Levodopa
24 Levofloxacin
25 Acyclovir
26 Levetiracetam
27 Lopinavir
28 Valsartan
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