PC sales up 1% to 37 lakh units

NEW DELHI: Improving market sentiments helped sales of personal computers (PC) rise by 1% to over 37 lakh units during the first six months of 2009-10, mostly driven by demand in the last few months. “Although the sales growth was subdued in enterprises, the overall consumption in the PC market was led by telecom, BFSI, education and household segments,” IT hardware industry body MAIT executive director Vinnie Mehta said. The total PC (including desktops, netbooks, notebooks) sales stood at 37.1 lakh between April and September 2009, MAIT said.

With market sentiments improving in the latter part of the fiscal, MAIT expects PC sales to pick up and cross 73 lakh units in FY10, showing a 7% growth, he added. On the industry body’s budget wish list, MAIT president and HP president (IPG) Ravi Aggarwal said: “We want stability in policy framework and the stimulus package to continue.

MAIT has strongly recommended that the 8% excise duty on all IT products and components be maintained.”

The body is also pushing for the removal of the 4% special additional duty (SAD), which will help local manufacturers compete in the market, Mr Aggarwal added.

In the first six months, desktop sales fell 11% to 26.1 lakh units compared with 29.1 lakh units in the same period last year.