Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 7: Suspecting that the Chinese manufacturers have been dumping low-priced products in India, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), under the Government of India (GoI), has reportedly initiated a high-level probe into the exponential surge in imports of solar photo voltaic cells (PVC) from Ethiopia.
Media reports, citing the data availed from GoI’s Commerce Ministry, have reportedly stated that, “The MNRE’s suspicion stemmed from the solar PVC imports from Ethiopia ballooning from zero to $202 million in 2025-26 since Ethiopia had zero share in India’s PVC imports in FY25, which rose to 6.6% in FY26.”
Media reports have said that, “The MNRE has sought intervention to determine whether existing trade rules are being circumvented through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) or Least Developed Country (LDC) benefits, including exemptions from the basic customs duty on solar PVCs.”
Notably, GoI has reportedly “imposed a 20% basic customs duty in February 2025 on imported solar PVCs and modules, especially from China, in order to protect the country’s $12 billion domestic solar equipment manufacturing industry.”
Reportedly, India has also been maintaining “an Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), under which only approved equipment qualifies for government-backed renewable energy schemes.”
In this context, international media reports have also stated that, “The US Department of Commerce has also launched a circumvention probe in July this year, because the US imports of Ethiopia-origin Crystalline Silicon Photo Voltaic (CSPV) cells and modules surged to $277 million in the second half of 2025 from virtually zero before July 2025.”
Need to mention here that, “Ethiopia has rapidly emerged as a solar-cell manufacturing hub due to cheap hydroelectric power and low labour costs.”
