Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers :
Department of Pharmaceuticals
azadi ka amrit mahotsav

APIs Imports from China

Posted On: 10 MAR 2026 1:31PM by PIB Delhi

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.

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.

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 these 33 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

HS CODE

DESCRIPTION

Import from China FY2023-24 Value (in USD Mn)

China Dependence (in %) FY2023-24

Import from China FY2024-25 Value (in USD Mn)

China Dependence (in %) FY2024-25

29419013

RIFA OR RIFA S SODIUM (RIFAINT)

8.37

100.00

15.44

100.00

29214236

METHYL DOPA (L-ALPHA METHYL-3, 4-DIHYDROXYPHENYLA

13.75

100.00

12.16

100.00

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 HR SALTS

10.75

99.84

11.40

99.65

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 MAL0NATE

19.77

99.93

19.34

98.13

29420015

DANES SALT OF D (-) PHENYL GLYCINE

18.07

98.06

19.03

100.00

29335200

MALONYLUREA (BARBITURIC ACID) AND ITS SALS

5.36

98.00

4.58

100.00

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

97.94

29414000

CHLORAMPHENICOL AND ITS DERIVATIVES SALTS THEREOF

3.08

97.81

2.42

96.99

29379019

OTHER

4.68

97.33

5.71

95.16

29372100

CORTISONE, HYDROCORTISONE, PREDNISONE (DEHY-DROCORTISONE) AND F

41.12

96.48

37.67

95.41

29182110

SALICYLIC ACID

23.88

95.22

24.54

96.16

29415000

ERTHROMYCIN AND ITS DERIVATIVES SALTS THEREOF

153.75

93.04

166.31

97.65

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 BENZOATE

8.14

94.46

10.04

91.73

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 DERIVATIVES

21.48

82.45

22.35

87.76

29411010

PENICILLINS AND ITS SALTS

192.15

77.03

215.51

92.87

29362210

VITAMIN B1I (THIAMINE, ANEURINE) AND ITS SALT

10.18

85.32

15.59

81.77

29332990

OTHER COMPNDS CNTNG AN UNFUSED IMIDAZOLE RING (W/N HYDROGENATED

64.00

81.69

66.36

82.33

29331999

OTHER

223.72

76.14

139.67

79.63

29420090

OTHER DILOXANIDE FUROATE, CIMETIDINE, FAMOTIDINE NES

250.40

75.29

262.11

78.96

29362500

VITAMIN B6 AND ITS DERIVATIVES

7.69

63.50

12.83

88.28

29333918

LUTIDINE (DIMETHYLE PYRIDINE)

0.03

50.00

2.98

100.00

29183030

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-PYRAZLN

2.25

50.00

0.16

99.43

29331940

PHENYL-METHYL PYRAZOLONE

0.00

50.00

0.82

99.29

29335400

OTHER DERIVATIVES OF MALONYLUREA (BARBITURIC ACID)

0.15

49.83

0.31

99.43

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 STRUCTURAL ANALOGUES

0.01

50.00

0.01

96.79

29215120

M-PHENYLENEDIAMINE (M-DIAMINOBENZENE)

0.04

46.74

4.02

98.72

29335910

AMINOPHYLLINE(CORDOPHYLIN)

0.08

49.99

0.76

95.44

29372900

OTHR STEROIDAL HORMONES THEIR DERIVATIVES AND STRUCTURAL ANALOGUES

101.22

77.00

73.98

68.21

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 PYRAZOLONE

0.10

49.05

0.13

89.54

29379020

AMINO-ACID DERIVATIVES

1.97

55.67

9.07

82.29

29395900

OTHER THEOPHYLLINE AND AMINOPHYLLINE THEIR DERIVATIVES, SALTS

1.52

63.12

3.08

73.86

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

96.04

29331100

PHENAZONE (ANTIPYRIN) AND ITS DERIVATIVES

0.00

10.41

1.22

98.47

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 AND ESTERS

0.13

12.91

1.96

85.75

29419014

1 - AMINO -4 - METHYL PIPERAZINE (RIFAINT)

0.00

0.00

0.07

98.01

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 HYDROCHLORIDE

0.00

2.27

3.70

82.23

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

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

This information was given by Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

*****

PC/PM


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