 "India likely to avoid trade ban on Turkey due to $2.73 bn surplus")
While India is taking steps to limit Turkish involvement in key infrastructure projects on national security grounds, it is less inclined to impose similar restrictions on overall trade. This is despite industry groups calling for a ban on imports such as apples and marble. The main reason is that India runs a $2.73 billion trade surplus with Turkey, and blocking trade could harm India’s own interests.
“We have received several representations requesting a ban on imports from Turkey. Apple growers from Himachal Pradesh have specifically sought a ban on Turkish apple imports. However, India maintains a trade surplus with Turkey, and we must also consider the interests of our exporters. A trade ban could send a strong geopolitical message, but it’s a question of how far we are willing to take it,” a government official told The Indian Express.
The trade surplus is significant because India primarily exports industrial goods to Turkey—such as engineering products, electronics, and chemicals—which have steadily increased over the past five years. In contrast, Turkey’s exports to India are mainly limited to fruits, nuts, gold, and marble. Following the Ukraine war, Turkey had ramped up its imports of petroleum products from India, but this category has seen a sharp decline in FY25.
This development comes in the wake of Turkey backing Pakistan during heightened tensions with India, after New Delhi carried out Operation Sindoor targeting terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Last month, apple growers from Himachal Pradesh met officials from the Union Commerce Ministry, demanding a ban on apple imports. They claimed that cheap, subsidised Turkish apples are damaging the domestic horticulture sector and pushing local farmers into financial distress. They also emphasised that apples are not merely a crop, but the economic backbone of hill states.
Marble processors from Udaipur also wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) last month, seeking restrictions on marble imports from Turkey.
Earlier this month, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul and stated that both countries would work to deepen cooperation, especially in defence, energy, and transport, according to a statement from Erdogan’s office.
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More ShortsPak gets strong Turkey backing
About two weeks ago, Turkey reaffirmed its close ties with Pakistan, which are rooted in shared religious identity and historical links.
Erdogan also expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India conducted military strikes in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam carried out by Pakistan-backed militants.
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