In 2023, India experienced a notable reduction in average tariffs while increasing the use of non-tariff measures. According to the WTO report, India’s average tariffs decreased to 17% from 18.1% in 2022. Despite this, India remained one of the top countries in initiating and imposing anti-dumping duties, second only to the US. The reduction in average tariffs contrasted with an increase in anti-dumping measures and the application of other trade defense tools.
Anti-Dumping Measures
- Initiated Investigations: India initiated 45 anti-dumping investigations and imposed duties in 14 cases.
- Comparison with the US: The US led with 64 investigations and 14 duties imposed.
- Current Measures: India currently has 133 anti-dumping measures affecting 418 products.
Countervailing Measures
- Investigations and Duties: India conducted 3 countervailing investigations and imposed duties in 3 cases.
- Total Duties: India has imposed countervailing duties in 17 cases covering 28 products.
- Actions Against India: India faced 4 countervailing duty investigations and actions in 3 cases, with 44 countervailing actions affecting 173 products in force against it.
Safeguard Measures
- Investigations and Duties: In 2023, India initiated 1 safeguard investigation and imposed duties in 2 cases.
- Purpose: Safeguard duties protect domestic industries from import surges and are non-country-specific.
Impact on Tariffs
- Simple Average Tariffs: Decreased to 17% from 18.1%.
- Trade-Weighted Average Tariffs: Rose to 12% from 11.4%.
- Non-Agricultural Imports: Average tariffs dropped to 13.5% from 14.7%.
- Agricultural Imports: Average tariffs fell to 39% from 39.6%, but trade-weighted tariffs increased to 65% from 48.5%.
Bound Tariffs
- Overall Average Bound Tariff: 50.8%.
- Agricultural Products: 113.1%.
- Non-Agricultural Products: 36%.