Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics Export Promotion Council (CHEMEXCIL) has proposed a number of suggestions to the Department of Commerce on the draft position paper for National Policy on Chemicals.

In a letter to the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), the
Department of Commerce said that as per suggestions received from CHEMEXCIL, the following are submitted for consideration:

1. Compilation of chemical inventory of the country (CHEMEXCIL has started this
work to some extent).
2. Chemical Management Programme: The draft mentions Germany and Singapore but as
per a study conducted by CHEMEXCIL, the Canadian Chemical Management Programme is
more adaptable.
3. Need for creation of data bank of safety data sheets of all chemicals being
imported, exported, manufactured and consumed our country, as our manufacturers or
exporters are paying exorbitant amounts for buying this data to be REACH
compliant. Furthermore, this purchased data cannot be used for compliance of any
other international legislation.
4. The need to correct inverted duty structures, i.e., feedstock should have
minimum duties than resultant products.

The objectives of the National Policy initiatives are:
1. Increase investment in the sector through facilitating capacity additions and
ensuring availability of necessary feedstock and quality infrastructure.
2. Increase the domestic demand and per capita consumption of chemicals.
3. Create a conducive environment for serving domestic demand through domestic
production and leveraging the significant export potential of country in segments
like pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyestuffs and specialty chemicals.
4. Establish focus on specialty chemicals as a thrust area.
5. Facilitate access to latest technology and assist in upgrade of outdated
technology.
6. Promote research and development with focus on sustainability and green
chemistry.
7. Promote human resource development to ensure availability of critical human
resources required for achieving the desired growth.

According to the DCPC, the present size of the chemical sector is USD 108 billion.
It has the potential to grow at 11 per cent per annum to reach USD 310 billion by
2020.