Debasis Mohapatra
Bengaluru, 2 April 2026
Indian government on Thursday exempted a wide range of critical petrochemical products till June 30th from custom duty, as the ongoing West Asia conflict disrupted global supply chains.
The exemptions come into effect from April 2, will apply to imports of products such as ammonium nitrate, methanol, styrene, acetic acid and polyvinyl chloride, a notification said.
Notably, petroleum products are used as inputs in several industries including paint, textiles, pharmaceuticals, toys, fertilizer and others.
The exempted list of the products included Anhydrous ammonia, Toluene, Styrene, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), Vinyl chloride monomer, Methanol (methyl alcohol), Isopropyl alcohol, Monoethylene Glycol (MEG), Phenol, Acetic acid, Polymers of ethylene, Formaldehyde, Urea formaldehyde, Melamine formaldehyde, Phenol formaldehyde and others.
Government reduces Agriculture Infrastructure Cess on Ammonium Nitrate to nil:
The government has also reduced the Agriculture Infrastructure Cess on Ammonium Nitrate to zero. Ammonium Nitrate is as a crucial component in fertilizer production and is widely used in agricultural applications. This step is aimed at reducing the input cost of the key agricultural inputs.
