Archive · 5 Oct 2026
AP Chambers Seeks Policy Measures to Protect Human Hair Industry
A trade group in Andhra Pradesh says India's human hair industry is facing problems.
Its president asked the national government to take action.
He said raw hair has continued to be exported for several years.
This can leave local factories short of good-quality hair and make their costs go up.
The group also raised concerns about how some hair exports are priced and reported.
It said the official minimum export price is much lower than the price in India's domestic market.
The group believes processing more hair in India could support manufacturing and jobs.
It says nearly 50,000 livelihoods in Andhra Pradesh depend directly on this industry.
AP Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao urged the Centre to address challenges facing India's human hair processing and manufacturing industry.
He said the sector has been under severe stress for seven to eight years amid continued exports of raw human hair.
The industry faces shortages of quality raw material, rising input costs, and concerns about undervaluation, misdeclaration, and possible illegal cross-border movement.
AP Chambers said the minimum export price of about US$65 per kg is below domestic prices of Rs 13,000–15,000 per kg.
The Chambers said raw-material exports limit domestic value addition and employment; it cited nearly 50,000 livelihoods directly dependent on the sector in Andhra Pradesh.
- Who
- AP Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao and the human hair processing and manufacturing industry.
- What
- Bhaskara Rao urged the Centre to introduce policy measures to address the industry's challenges.
- When
- The representation was submitted on Saturday; the article does not give a calendar date.
- Where
- Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh; the representation was sent to the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry and the Director General of Foreign Trade.
- Why
- AP Chambers cited raw-material shortages, rising input costs, concerns over export practices, and losses to domestic value addition and employment.
- Organization
- AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation
- Representative
- President Potluri Bhaskara Rao
- Sector
- Human hair processing and manufacturing
- Period of stress
- Seven to eight years, according to Bhaskara Rao
- Minimum export price cited
- About US$65 per kg, or approximately Rs 6,000
- Domestic price cited
- Rs 13,000–15,000 per kg
- Andhra Pradesh livelihoods
- Nearly 50,000 directly dependent on the sector, according to AP Chambers