According to the state government, Apple’s largest supplier, Foxconn, will begin producing iPhones in the southern Indian state of Karnataka by April of next year.

It is estimated that the project will generate approximately 50,000 employment.

Foxconn, situated in Taiwan, manufactures the bulk of Apple’s phones.

Since 2017, the company has been producing earlier models of iPhones at a factory in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.

The corporation stated last month that it had purchased 1.2 million square meters (13 million square feet) of property near Bengaluru, Karnataka.

According to Bloomberg, Foxconn planned to invest $700 million (£566 million) in a new factory in the state. The Karnataka government said on Thursday that the project is worth $1.59 billion.

The land for the facility would be handed over to the corporation by July 1, according to the statement.

According to Reuters, Foxconn has set a target of producing 20 million iPhones per year at its Karnataka plant.

Apple’s plan to produce its flagship model in India and diversify its supply chains away from China comes as trade tensions between the United States and China increase.

Apple manufactures the majority of its phones in China. Several Apple vendors, including Foxconn, assemble iPhones in India. It is currently responsible for 5% of total iPhone production.

The company failed to compete in the Indian market, which is dominated by considerably cheaper cellphones from South Korea and China.

In April, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited India to open the country’s first two Apple stores.