From small grocery stores to major e-commerce sites, Indian retailers and platforms begin pulling Turkish products over Erdogan’s pro-Pakistan stance
India is witnessing a growing wave of consumer-led boycott of Turkish goods following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s open support for Pakistan amid recent tensions with India. The trigger came after Erdogan’s remarks supporting Islamabad post the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
The boycott has swiftly extended from local kirana shops to top online retailers, affecting Turkish imports across sectors.
While the Indian government hasn’t announced a formal trade ban, the impact is significant. India imports around $2.7 billion worth of goods annually from Turkey, with key categories including mineral fuels, precious metals, apparel, and food products.
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The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), which supplies over 13 million local shops, declared an “indefinite and total boycott” of Turkish-made items such as chocolates, coffee, biscuits, jams, wafers, and skincare products
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The move could potentially hit ₹2,000 crore (approximately $234 million) in annual food product sales
Fashion retailers follow suit, removing Turkish labels amid rising nationalist sentiment.
E-commerce giants like Flipkart’s fashion arm Myntra and Reliance’s AJIO have begun removing Turkish clothing brands. Myntra delisted labels including Trendyol, LC Waikiki, and Mavi, citing “national interest.” AJIO has either removed Turkish brands entirely or marked them “out of stock.” A source close to the matter confirmed there was no external pressure from Walmart, Flipkart’s US-based parent.
Meanwhile, travel companies like MakeMyTrip, Ixigo, Cleartrip, and EaseMyTrip have halted bookings to Turkey. Ixigo has also suspended services to Azerbaijan and China, while EaseMyTrip reported a 22% increase in cancellations to Turkey and 30% to Azerbaijan.
Turkish aviation firm Celebi has also lost its security clearance from the Indian government.
Additionally, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has urged a halt to Turkish apple imports, which were valued at $60 million in 2024.