‘Worse Than Covid’ US Levy Forces Indian Firms to Remap Options

Indian exporters who built their businesses on Americans’ demand for affordable goods are redrawing their strategies and weighing alternatives to reduce the pain from US President Donald Trump’s shock 50% levy on imports.

Trump’s decision to double tariffs in the space of a week will make India-made apparels to generic drugs prohibitively expensive and can heavily disrupt exports, if not bring them to a grinding halt for many smaller businesses.

“This is worse than Covid for us,” said Lalit Thukral, founder of apparel exporter Twenty Second Miles, who fears the industry will have to sell his goods at a ...