APIs Imports from China
APIs Imports from China
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.