India’s surgical mask makers scramble to meet Asian demand surge amid coronavirus outbreak

Eyeing large profits, Indian manufacturers are scrambling to meet the demand from countries such as China and Malaysia

But this new focus on exports means the domestic market is being underserved, and substandard masks are hitting shelves

Reading Time:3 minutes

A vendor shows an N95 face mask at medical store in Bhopal, India. Photo: EPA

Published: 8:00pm, 20 Feb 2020Updated: 12:00am, 8 Apr 2020

Indian manufacturers and distributors of surgical face masks are currently in overdrive to meet a surge in global demand for protective gear amid the coronavirus outbreak.

With an eye on enormous profits, these suppliers have turned their focus to exports, particularly China – causing a chronic local shortage of masks due to the relatively lower margins in the domestic market.

Indian manufacturers produce 240 million disposable masks every year, primarily for domestic use, as per the estimates of the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry.

There are no large-scale manufacturers of surgical masks in the country; the landscape is dominated by more than a dozen medium-sized companies with a production capacity of between 20,000 and 100,000 masks a day.

The production cost of a mask is estimated to be 1 rupee (less than 2 US cents), and masks were sold for 2-4 rupees at retail outlets a month ago. As of this week, the price of a surgical mask has skyrocketed to 15 rupees.

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