Trump Tariffs: ‘My Artisans Depend on Me—How Do I Tell Them There’s No Work?’

'If this situation continues even for a single quarter, at least 50% of our artisans will lose their jobs.'

Livelihoods of hundreds of metal handicraft artisans are at stake as US slaps 50% tariff on India.

(Accessed by The Quint)

Three months ago, when US President Donald Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on everything imported from India, I dismissed it as political posturing. I thought it would never actually be enforced. But on 27 August, those tariffs became a reality.

And that reality is crushing us. These tariffs are not just numbers on paper. They are a death sentence for small exporters like me from Moradabad. They are burying the very industry that has fed thousands of families for generations—our metal handicrafts.

I am one of countless small exporters from this city. For me, 95 percent of my business depends on the US market. We work with stainless steel, brass, and aluminium to create handmade decorative items—candle holders, vases, bowls, and stands.

This is not factory-line production. Every piece is touched by human hands, crafted with patience and pride. Forty to fifty artisans work with me, their skill and sweat giving life to designs that carry Moradabad’s legacy across oceans.

Moradabad has been a center for metal handicraft artisans for decades and is famously known as India’s Brass City.

(Accessed by The Quint)

'Orders Are Drying Up'

But let me be clear—this is no empire. My company is a small unit under the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) category. We run on razor-thin margins. We don’t have the cushion to absorb a 50 percent tariff, nor the luxury of suddenly finding new buyers in other parts of the world.

A friend of mine owns a factory that makes copper bathtubs. He hasn’t gone to his workshop in days. No new orders are coming in, and even the old ones have been frozen. “What’s the point of sitting in the factory when there’s no work?” he asks me. I don’t have an answer.

As business owners, perhaps we can somehow hold on for two or three months. But what about the artisans? They are daily earners, making Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 a day depending on their skill. What happens when the orders stop? What happens when the hands that carve, engrave, and polish have no work left to do?

Right now, whatever little orders we still have, we are executing them at a loss just to maintain relationships with our clients. But this is not sustainable. One or two orders we can bear. Stretch this situation for a quarter, and half of my artisans will lose their jobs.

And remember—these are not just workers. They are highly specialised craftspeople. Their skills are unique, passed down over generations. They cannot suddenly learn another trade. And I cannot magically create alternative work for them. If this industry collapses, their lives collapse with it.

'Government Needs To Step In'

We were already in survival mode for two years. Even today, we have not bounced back to the levels we were at in 2020–21. And now this blow—this 50 percent tariff—is like a hammer on glass. It shatters everything.

Before this, the duty ranged from 3 percent to 7 percent, depending on the item. Our operating margin itself is only 8 percent–10 percent. Now Trump has raised it to 50 percent. Do the math—it is impossible to survive.

Maybe the big exporters will find a way. They can shift operations to another country where tariffs are lower. But what then? India will lose the business. Indian artisans will lose their jobs. India’s heritage will vanish, piece by piece.

That is why I am making this desperate appeal to my government: please, step in. Whether through diplomatic channels or by offering subsidies, save us. Save our artisans. Save Moradabad’s 'Brass City'.

If this continues, Moradabad will not just lose its industry. It will lose its soul.

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