E-Commerce Sites Must Reveal Goods' Country of Origin: India

The Indian government said on Monday that e-commerce platforms will have to provide details of products’ “country of origin” on their websites.

New Delhi wants a mandatory declaration via filters of where products are made so that people can easily determine if they are domestic goods and, thus, boost the government’s self-reliance initiative.

The draft amendment to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, “ensures a level-playing field for Indian manufacturers, helping domestic products gain equal visibility alongside imported goods and encouraging consumers to choose locally made alternatives,” India’s consumer affairs ministry said in a statement.

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Thousands of Indian artisans and small businesses have been affected since the United States doubled tariffs on some goods to 50% starting on August 27.

Exporters to visit Moscow

Meanwhile, a large delegation of Indian exporters will start a four-day visit to Moscow on Tuesday.

The trade delegation stems in part from New Delhi’s push to diversify export markets amid the impact of tariffs sharply raised by US President Donald Trump, a senior trade body official said.

The visit comes ahead of an expected trip to India next month by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The delegation will comprise more than 20 exporters from the engineering sector – a sector which accounts for nearly a fifth of all Indian merchandise exports – and the visit is part of a broader strategy to tap new markets, industry officials said.

Trump has doubled tariffs on Indian imports into the US to 50% as punishment for India’s purchases of Russian oil, driving bilateral relations to their lowest point in decades, though the two countries are now trying to reach a trade deal.

“Russia has been an important business partner for India, and the engineering and tools sector presents significant potential for collaboration,” SC Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), which is leading the delegation, said.

“Our engineering exports to Russia are growing rapidly and are expected to reach $1.75 billion this year,” he said, adding that the visit aimed to deepen commercial ties and promote Indian manufacturing in the Russian market.

Exports of engineering goods to the US, India’s largest market, declined 9.4% year-on-year to $1.40 billion in September, industry estimates showed, while total exports to the US fell to $5.4 billion from $6.9 billion in August.

India’s exports to Russia rose 14.6% year-on-year to $4.9 billion in the fiscal year 2024/25 ending in March, while imports, mainly of crude oil and other energy products, climbed 4.3% to $63.8 billion, Commerce Ministry data showed.

Indian exporters have benefitted from supply gaps in Russia after Western firms exited the market following the Ukraine invasion. However, imports have recently slowed as refiners paused Russian oil purchases following the imposition of US sanctions on two major Russian crude oil exporters.

At the MITEX Tools Expo in Moscow from November 11-14, Indian firms will showcase engineering goods, highlighting the country’s manufacturing strength, FIEO said, while the Indian Embassy and the Commerce Ministry will facilitate meetings with Russian buyers to promote trade and joint ventures.