Coimbatore: Price of pump sets is expected to increase by 7.5-10% from April due to the continuing volatility in metal prices and supply uncertainties.Urging the Union govt to reduce the GST on pumps to 5% from 18%, the Southern India Engineering Manufacturers Association (SIEMA) on Monday announced its decision to increase the price of pump sets. The association expressed concern over the unprecedented rise in prices of raw materials over the past six months, placing severe stress on the MSME-driven pump manufacturing sector. Over the past year, copper prices have increased by more than 50%, rising from about ₹800- 850/kg to 1,200/kg. Copper alone accounts for 25-30% of the material cost in several categories of pumps. At the same time, a sharp increase in prices of aluminium, steel, cast iron, polymers, cables and other key inputs have resulted in overall manufacturing cost escalation exceeding 20%, significantly eroding industry margins. Industry leaders cautioned that continued absorption of raw material inflation could push many pump manufacturers, particularly MSMEs, into an existential crisis. To partly absorb these abnormal cost increases, manufacturers have already initiated a phased price revision of around 10% with reference to October 2025 price levels, to be implemented before March 31, 2026. Representing various pump manufacturers, SIEMA reiterated that water pumps are primary agricultural machinery, essential for irrigation, groundwater management, and rural livelihoods. In view of this, the industry has urged the government to reduce GST on water pumps from 18% to 5%, to support farmers, sustain manufacturing, and promote energy-efficient technologies. KV Karthik, president of Indian Pump Manufacturers Association (IPMA) said, “In addition to GST, we are also requesting the Union govt to provide temporary relaxation on safeguard duty on items, particularly like steel and certain types of polymers. In this global uncertainty, the relaxation will help the import prices cool down. From August 2025 to March 2026, there has been a 10% price hike and even before the ongoing West Asia War, we had decided to increase it by another 7.5-10% to safeguard the industry from a massive loss. The end users will witness at least 30% price hike for the entire pump set that includes pipes, wires and other materials.”
