Tata Group will start assembling Apple iPhones in India after Wistron Corp agreed to sell its manufacturing unit in India to the salt-to-software conglomerate, a minister said on Friday.

A Tata company will start manufacturing iPhones in India for domestic and international markets, Deputy Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on social media platform X.

Wistron’s board of directors has approved the sale of Wistron InfoComm Manufacturing India Private Limited to Tata Electronics Private Limited for about $125 million, according to a statement from the Taiwanese supplier shared by the minister.

Wistron did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple calls India its next big growth engine, as it looks to relocate some of its production from China.

The tech giant began assembling iPhones in the country with Wistron in 2017, before expanding through contracts with companies including Foxconn and Pegatron Corp.

In December 2020, Wistron’s factory in Narasapura, Karnataka state, had to close for three months after workers destroyed property during protests over non-payment of wages, causing millions of dollars in losses. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Blassy Boben; Editing by Alexander Smith)