A New Crisis: Impact of US Tariff hikes on UP's Industries

Long-established industrial centres such as Kanpur, Moradabad, Bhadohi and Firozabad are currently facing severe disruptions due to the imposition of steep US tariffs.

- Kishore Kumar Biswas

A tariff increase of up to 50% has sharply reduced demand for many products exported from these regions. This contraction in the export market has led to widespread job losses, particularly among temporary and contractual workers, pushing thousands of families into vulnerability.

According to The Hindu (10 November), export associations and factory owners estimate job losses at around 25% in the initial phase alone. UP has a wide network of industrial towns—Agra, Modinagar, Aligarh, Kanauj, Jaunpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Etawah, Mirzapur, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Jhansi and others but Kanpur remains the largest industrial city.