Introduction
The Indian plastic industry is one of the leading sectors in the country’s economy. The history of the plastic industry in India dates to 1957 with the production of polystyrene. Since then, the industry has made substantial progress and has grown rapidly. The industry is present across the country and has more than 2,500 exporters. It employs more than 4 million people in the country and constitutes 30,000 processing units; among these, 85-90% belong to small and medium enterprises. India manufactures various products such as plastics and linoleum, houseware products, cordage, fishnets, floor coverings, medical items, packaging items, plastic films, pipes, raw materials, etc. The country majorly exports plastic raw materials, films, sheets, woven sacks, fabrics, and tarpaulin. The Government of India intends to take the plastic industry from a current level of Rs. 3,00,000 crore (US$ 37.8 billion) of economic activity to Rs. 10,00,000 crore (US$ 126 billion) in four-five years.
10 Plastic Parks have been approved in the country by The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals. Among these, six plastic parks have received final approval from the following states – Madhya Pradesh (two parks), Assam (one park), Tamil Nadu (one park), Odisha (one park), and Jharkhand (one park). These parks are intended to boost employment and attain environmentally sustainable growth.
Export Trend
In FY25 (until January 2025), India’s plastic exports stood at Rs. 89,296 (US$ 10.34 billion). During this period, the exports of plastic films & sheets, FIBC woven sacks woven fabrics & tarpaulin and Packaging items – flexible rigid grew by 19.6%, 17.2%, and 10.1%, respectively, over the same period last year.
The cumulative exports of plastics and related materials during FY23 were valued at US$ 11.96 billion. This was a 10.4% decrease from FY22 exports valued at US$ 13.35 billion. Plastic raw materials were the largest exported category and constituted 27.76% of the total exports in FY23; it recorded a growth of 21.5% over the previous year. Plastic films and sheets were the second largest category, comprising 15.13% of the total exports, but declined by 10.6% over the previous year.
In June 2024, the exports of plastics and linoleum from India were valued at US$ 980.8 million. During the same period, medical items of plastics; FRP & composites; packaging items; cordage fishnets & monofilaments and floorcoverings, leathercloth, & laminates recorded strong growth. The cumulative exports for FY25 (April-January) increased by 9.6% YoY to US$ 10.34 billion.
Export Destinations
India exports plastic to more than 200 countries in the world. The top five consumer and houseware product importing countries are the USA, Germany Japan, the UK, and France. India largely exports plastic and related products to the USA, China, the UAE, the UK, Germany, Nepal, Italy, Bangladesh, etc. The total value of exports to the USA, the largest consumer of the Indian plastic industry, stood at US$ 2.31 billion in FY23, a decrease of 4.71% YoY. China was the second largest consumer of plastic export products from India and the total value of exports stood at US$ 690.95 million. The USA and China constituted 19.37%, and 5.78%, of the total plastic exports in FY23.
The total plastic exports from India to France during FY24 was around Rs. 1,692 crore (US$ 195.93 million). To boost exports to France and Europe, PLEXCONCIL collaborated with the Indo-French Chamber in the first quarter of FY22. The Minister for Commerce and Industry, Mr. Piyush Goyal, recently urged industry to adopt international standards to help it expand its global footprint. India has recently signed a free-trade agreement with UAE and Australia, which will give the plastics industry new opportunities.
Government Initiatives
The Plastic Export Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL) has set a target to increase the plastic exports of the country to US$ 25 billion by 2027. There are multiple plastic parks that are being set up in the country in a phased manner that will help improve the plastic manufacturing outputs of the country. Under the plastic park schemes, the Government of India provides funds of up to 50% of the project costs or a ceiling cost of Rs. 40 crore (US$ 5 million) per project.
Government initiatives like “Digital India”, “Make in India”, and “Skill India” will also boost India’s Plastic industry. For instance, under the “Digital India” program, the government aims to reduce the import dependence on products from other countries, which will lift the local plastic part manufacturers.
The government also launched a program for building Centres of Excellence (CoEs) to develop the existing petrochemical technology and promote the research environment pertaining to the sector in the country. This will aid in promoting and developing new applications of polymers and plastics in the country. Additionally, about 23 Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) have been approved to accelerate financial and technological collaboration for promoting skills in the chemicals and petrochemicals sector.
Governing Body
The Plastic Export Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL)
PLEXCONCIL was established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 1955. The main objective of this non-profit organization is to highlight India as a reliable supplier of high-quality products. PLEXCONCIL is the apex body of the plastics industry in the country and represents more than 2,500 exporters who manufacture and trade plastics products ranging from plastic raw materials to semi-finished and finished items.
Crystal Tower, Ground Floor
Gundivali Road No. 3
Off Sir M. V. Road
Andheri (E)
Mumbai – 400069
Maharashtra
India
Tel.:+91-22-2683 3951/ 52
Fax: +91-22-2683 3953/ 4057
Email: office@plexconcil.gov.in
Website: www.plexconcil.org
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