Telangana’s EV, electronics sectors feeling the heat of China’s export curbs: Sridhar Babu

Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday urging the Centre to immediately intervene and formulate strategic alternatives to mitigate the disruption resulting from China’s export restrictions on rare earth elements.

He raised serious concerns over the impact of the restrictions, particularly on the manufacturing ecosystem in Telangana, Mr. Sridhar Babu’s office said in a release on the meeting in New Delhi.

Vulnerable sector

Critical inputs such as rare earth magnets, raw materials and specialty chemicals, essential for production of electronics and electric vehicles (EVs) are largely imported from China. The curbs on export of these materials by China recently are having a cascading effect on domestic industries. “If this trend continues, it will cause significant economic damage — with Telangana’s manufacturing sector being particularly vulnerable,” he said in a representation to the Union Minister.

Mr. Sridhar Babu underscored the need for the Centre to urgently assess the ground realities and initiate measures to secure alternative supply chains, ensuring the momentum in electronics and EV manufacturing is not hampered. “The government must step in to shield our industries from supply shocks,” the Minister said, calling for a national strategy to diversify sourcing and boost domestic capacity.