Who Introduced FDI In India?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India was introduced in the 1991 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) implemented by the then finance minister, Dr. Manmohan Sign. It commenced with the baseline of 1 billion dollars in 1990.

How Is FDI Calculated?

Foreign direct investment is the sum of equity capital, long term capital, and short term capital as reflected in the balance of payments. FDI is characterized by a participation in management, joint-venture, transfer of technology and expertise.

What Is The Automatic Route Of FDI

Under this route, investment into different sectors are less restricted. Foreign direct investment norms and regulations are more liberalized. Here, the overseas investor or the Indian company does not require a prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or government of India for investment into the country.

Which Country Has The Highest FDI In India

The country with the highest contribution to FDI in India was Singapore with USD 16.23 billion. This figure was followed by Mauritius with a total investment of USD 8.08 billion, Netherlands with USD 3.87 billion, Unites States with an investment amounting to USD 3.14 billion and, Japan with USD 2.97 billion.

What Are FDI Equity Inflows?

Foreign direct equity inflows are the sum of inward direct investments into a country by non-resident or foreign investors. A foreign direct investment is an investment made by an entity not residing in the country the investment is being made in.

The Role and Impact of FDI in Indian Pharmaceutical Sector

March 10, 2023 fdiindia Comments 0 Comment

All these years, India has been the hub for manufacturing and supplying affordable generic medicines all over the world. FDI in Pharmaceutical Sector of India is permitted 100% under the automatic route regarding greenfield investments in order to attract investment to set up new manufacturing units, research and development, along with technology acquisition.

Regarding brownfield investment, any amount of FDI requires prior approval of the government.

A 20% share in global supply by volume and 62% of supplies of global demand for vaccines is occupied by India. The nation ranks 3rd worldwide in production by volume and 10th by value, hence accounting for over 10% of global production by volume and 1.5% by value.

The country has more than 3,000 pharma companies with a strong network of over 10,500 facilities of manufacturing. The turnover of the domestic pharmaceutical market reached almost USD 20.03 billion in 2019 and up to 9.3% in 2018. It has been growing ever since as the penetration of health insurance and pharmacies is on the rise.

FDI Policy for Pharmaceutical Sector

The investment policy of FDI in Pharmaceutical Sector in India has gone through several key changes in the previous decade.

Before 2011, 100% FDI was allowed for the manufacturing of drugs and pharmaceuticals under the automatic route. Following a sudden increase in the takeover numbers of domestic pharma organisations, there was a concern regarding the availability of vital medicines, research and development. Also, the availability of technology forced the policy of the FDI to be revised in order to distinguish between FDI in greenfield and brownfield investment.

In 2014, the FDI policy was further revised to insert a condition which prohibits non-compete clause agreements among the parties, except in special cases, that would also require government approval. This condition was made applicable to both the FDIs regarding brownfield and greenfield.

Furthermore, in 2016, the Indian government relaxed the FDI policy regarding brownfield pharmaceuticals in order to attract foreign investment in the pharmaceutical sector. Certain conditions were imposed for FDI in brownfield pharmaceuticals, under both the routes, automatic and government approved.

Current Policy

The current policy of FDI regarding greenfield and brownfield investment is explained below-

Regarding Greenfield FDI

FDI in greenfield pharmaceuticals is permitted under the 100% Automatic route, implying that no government approval is needed to make the investment.

Defining Greenfield FDI in Pharma

Greenfield investment refers to investments made by foreign investors in the construction of new facilities of production and operation from the ground up and also requires utilising industry licences, etc.

Regarding Brownfield FDI

FDI in Pharmaceutical Sector regarding brownfield is allowed up to 74% under the automatic route. But, investments above 74% are made under the route of approval for which approval of the government is needed.

Defining Brownfield FDI in Pharma

Brownfield investment refers to investments made in an existing plant. It is preferred over the greenfield investment as it saves time and costs to begin a project as important infrastructure like a production facility, capital equipment, local labour, and local approvals, etc, already exists and is relatively quick and a less expensive alternative to a greenfield project.

About FDI

We at FDI India, simplify the complex structure regarding foreign investments and transactions under FDI through years of field expertise. Our aim is to transform the face of the facilitation services of the FDI in India by keeping our focus on sustainable investments and loans to help the businesses of India. FDI India is transforming the investment climate of the country by making the environment of business for investors simple. Our experts specialise across different states and sectors of India, handholding investors via their investment lifecycle right from pre-investment to aftercare.

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