Why Indian Consumers Are Boycotting Turkish Goods
India is witnessing an unofficial boycott of Turkish goods and services following Turkey’s support for Pakistan in the recent military and diplomatic standoff between the two South Asian nuclear powers.
While no formal trade ban has been announced, Indian distributors, e-commerce platforms, and travel companies have taken steps to cut ties with Turkish businesses, citing national interest as the primary reason.
The boycott began after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for Pakistan following a terror attack in Kashmir in April, which killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. India blamed the attack on Pakistan and cited it as justification for launching missile strikes on the neighboring nation, which led to this month’s military conflict.
Pakistan’s deployment of Turkish drones to target Indian military facilities only intensified anger against Turkey. “Our integrated air defence systems stood like a wall and they couldn’t breach it,” said the Indian military’s director general of air operations at a media briefing. “Whether it’s a Turkish drone or anything else, it fails in front of the technology of India.”
India imports goods worth over $2.7 billion annually from Turkey, primarily mineral fuels, precious metals, processed foods, and textiles. Turkish food exporters, in particular, are estimated to lose $234 million a year after the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation declared an “indefinite and total boycott” of the country.
Indian social media has been abuzz with trending hashtags like #BoycottTurkey. Everyday Turkish items such as chocolates, coffee, jams, biscuits, and skincare products have begun disappearing from stores.
E-commerce platforms have followed suit, with Flipkart’s fashion arm Myntra removing Turkish clothing brands such as Trendyol, LC Waikiki, and Mavi. The decision was reportedly taken “in national interest.” Ajio, owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance conglomerate, has delisted Turkish brands or marked them “out of stock” in a quiet nod to public sentiment.
Online travel booking platforms MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, Ixigo, and EaseMyTrip have paused or cancelled their services for Turkey. Ixigo has extended its suspension of services to Azerbaijan and China, which have also been accused in India of aiding Pakistan during the recent conflict.
“Respecting the sentiments shared by all Indians at this time, we have suspended all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. Our commitment is to act responsibly and in alignment with our country’s broader interests while prioritising the trust, safety, and interests of Indian travellers,” said the company’s CEO Aloke Bajpai. “Blood and bookings won’t flow together.”
EaseMyTrip said Indian travellers had “expressed strong sentiments over the past week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkiye decreasing by 60 per cent” and overall cancellations surging by 250 per cent.
Billionaire Harsh Goenka was among the prominent voices joining the growing chorus of calls to boycott Azerbaijan and Turkey. Indians had given tens of millions of pounds in tourism revenue to the two countries just last year and, thus, “created jobs, boosted their economy, hotels, weddings, flights” and yet, he alleged, they stood with Pakistan after the attack in Kashmir.
“Plenty of beautiful places in India and the world,” Mr Goenka wrote on X. “Please skip these 2 places. Jai Hind.”
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, chief minister of the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, asked for halting the import of Turkish apples, which were worth £45 million in 2024. Himachal is India’s main apple-growing region alongside Kashmir.
At the government level, New Delhi last week revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services, paralysing the Turkish firm’s operations at nine major airports, including Delhi and Mumbai. The move triggered a 20 per cent crash in Celebi’s shares and wiped about £150 million off its market value. India was Celebi’s largest overseas market, contributing over £130 million in revenue last year. Celebi took the matter to the Delhi High Court, but experts said legal relief was unlikely to restore lost ground.
The decision against Celebi affected over 3,800 Indian jobs but airport authorities claimed most workers would be absorbed by new vendors.
In another move to punish Turkey and Azerbaijan for their alleged backing of Pakistan, over 125 Indian trade leaders, under the Confederation of All India Traders, resolved to boycott all trade, tourism, and business engagement with both countries. They urged the Indian film industry and the corporate sector to avoid shooting films or ads in Turkey and Azerbaijan, warning of public boycotts if they did.
In a statement, the confederation declared that it would run a nationwide campaign to push economic disengagement as a patriotic response. “It is deeply unfortunate that Turkey and Azerbaijan, who have benefited from India’s goodwill, aid and strategic support in times of distress, have chosen to side with Pakistan, a country known globally for its support to terrorism,” said the trade body’s secretary general, Praveen Khandelwal. “Their position not only hurts India’s sovereignty and national interest but also directly insults the sentiments of 140 crore Indians.”
Kapil Surana, president of the Udaipur Marble Processors Association, told ANI news agency they had written to the prime minister asking for a ban on Turkish marble. “Business cannot be bigger than the nation,” he said.
This is not all. Colleges and universities across the country have severed ties and suspended student exchange programmes with Turkey. Top public and private institutions like IIT Bombay, JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Chandigarh University, and Lovely Professional University have either completely shut off or temporarily halted their engagements with Turkish counterparts in response to the current situation.