The government is in the process to launch a self-certification scheme for the Indian chemicals industry which will not only benefit the industry but also make India globally competitive in ease of doing business, Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Govt of India  said while addressing a webinar organized by FICCI and HIL.

 

Mandaviya said that the chemicals and agrochemicals industry is growing rapidly, and India will soon become the priority for foreign companies. "In the future, the world will trade with India and this is an opportunity for the chemicals sectors. Global companies are today investing in India," he said and added that India has created a lot of opportunities in every sector including textiles, ceramics, brass, and agrochemical sectors during the pandemic. "Next 10 years are golden years for India and the world will prefer to come to India," he noted. 

 

Mandaviya stated that said that during the COVID period the government has worked to support the industry and the economy to bring ease of doing business. "Post-COVID, the global scenario will change, and we will have to work to start exporting to those countries from where we currently import," he emphasized. 

 

He said that the government has already initiated programs and policies, which will benefit the Indian agrochemicals, petrochemicals, and the overall chemical sectors. "We are also working to launch the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in the chemicals sectors as we have done in the pharma sector," he informed. 

 

Speaking on the occasion, Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petro-Chemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said that the Indian chemicals and petrochemicals sector targets to contribute 20 per cent of the total manufacturing sector in India by 2025. "The department has set up a Vision-2024, to seize opportunities and establish India as a leading manufacturing hub with a thrust on reducing import dependency, attracting investments," he added.

 

Chaturvedi also stated that the agrochemical industry can play an important role in Indian agriculture to increase productivity and ensuring food security for the nation. "The agrochemical sector has been identified as a champion sector by the government. Growth in the sector is possible due to reforms like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, digital connectivity, etc.," he said and urged the industry to focus on developing new processes and products like improved pesticides and formulations biopesticides, with sustainability as a core principle. 

 

"Opportunities for the Indian crop protection industry will come from exports, higher production of generic products, product portfolio expansion along with growth in herbicides and fungicides. The government will continue to play the role of a facilitator for the growth of the industry,” Chaturvedi assured. 

 

RG Agarwal, Chairman, FICCI Sub Committee on Crop Protection and Group Chairman, Dhanuka Agritech said that the use of pesticides in India is still very low as compared to the world as pesticides play the role of insurance for Indian farmers. He further said that if given proper attention, the approximate current national crop loss can be reduced significantly to boost the Indian agriculture sector. 

 

Vikram Shroff, Director, UPL while highlighting the key policy recommendations said that the government should introduce mandatory technical registration for imported formulations along with the introduction of the PLI scheme for the agrochemicals sector. He also stressed on reduction in the regulatory cycle for various approvals, environmental norms that need to be in line with the global norms. 

 

"Government should create an innovation fund to undertake studies for facilitating the early introduction of generic products in India. There is also a need for setting up a Centre of Excellence focused on R&D that focusses on new product development and innovation in safe manufacturing processes," he added. 

 

S P Mohanty, CMD, HIL; Koushik Bhattacharyya, Director, Head - Industrials, Avendus Capital; Erik Jacobs, Head, Regulatory Science Asia Pacific region, Bayer, Singapore; Chander Sabharwal, MD, ISK Biosciences India; KK Unni, Chief Mentor & Chairman Emeritus, CropLife India and Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI also shared their perspectives.