Samsung moved its TV production from India to Vietnam in 2018. This decision was made due to import duties imposed by the Indian government on display panels for TVs. Previously, Samsung imported display panels to India and assembled TVs at its Chennai plant. After that, the company started importing TVs from Vietnam through the free trade agreement with zero import duties. Later on, Samsung started producing some of its TVs in India through an agreement with local manufacturer Dixon Technologies.
In July 2020, India decided to include TVs in a restricted import list in order to support local production. To import TVs to India, companies must first obtain the government's approval. Since July 2020, no brand has received permission to import TVs to India, and Samsung's TVs have been stuck at customs.
In September, Samsung sent a letter to India's Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, in which the company highlighted the importance of maintaining current threshold volumes for setting up the internal TV manufacturing facility and added that the current import restrictions are contrary to business ethics. Samsung wants to resume local production of TVs in December 2020, and until then, the company is seeking permission to import them to India in order not to break business continuity. There are already all the necessary conditions for restarting the plant in Chennai, all that remains is to upgrade the equipment and workforce. Samsung stresses that its local TV factory will considerably reduce the segment's dependence on imports. The company will also continue to import TVs with a diagonal of 75 inches and larger, as they represent a minor part of its sales.
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