Domestic pumpset manufacturers, especially those in the organised sector, have seen nearly 30 per cent drop in sales in the first six months of the financial year compared to the same period last year, according to Bharat B. Patel, president of Indian Pump Manufacturers’ Association.
Mr. Patel and V. Lakshminarayanaswamy, president of Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association, told The Hindu here on Thursday that fall in demand from the agricultural sector, slowdown of the construction sector and increase in import of Chinese pumps are some of the reasons.
Imports have been going up gradually during the last two years. Now, some of the domestic manufacturers too import Chinese pumps. These products cost 30 per cent to 40 per cent less than the Indian pumps.
Replacement
There are about 2,000 pumpset manufacturers in the country and they manufacture mainly for the agricultural and domestic segments. Replacement of old pumpsets with new ones is the major market in the agricultural segment.
The associations have appealed to the Union Government to extend tax benefits to energy efficient pumps made by the Indian manufacturers, encourage replacement of old pumps with energy efficient ones, especially in the agricultural sector, increase import duty on pumps and to take measures to bring down the raw material costs for the pumpset sector.
