AKIPRESS.COM - After months of negotiations, Apple is set to start manufacturing iPhones in the Indian tech hub Bangalore, a government official says, CNN reports.

The state of Karnataka, where Bangalore is located, has reached an agreement in principle with Apple (AAPL, Tech30), said Priyank Kharge, the state's information technology minister.

Kharge told CNNMoney that iPhone assembly could start as soon as April at a plant on the outskirts of Bangalore. The plant will be operated by Wistron, an Apple supplier that's headquartered in Taiwan.

Apple would neither confirm nor deny the Indian official's remarks. The company said in a statement last week that it has been talking to the Indian government about "expanding" its local operations.