On behalf of domestic plastic producers, the Indian Department of Commerce has requested the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals to extend the deadline of the binding BIS quality requirements for import polyethylene (PE) by at least 12 months from the original deadline of October 2021. According to BIS’ notification in April 2021, producers, importers, traders, and users of various chemicals and polymers have a six-month period to adhere to the quality requirements.
However, market participants said the window period would not be enough to obtain all necessary permits. The plastics producers added that the standards created market uncertainty, with some of them expecting a supply tightness due to limited import availability. Hence, a postponement of the deadline would provide great relief for industries that use the plastic resin.
They also argued that India remained dependent on the imports of several polyethylene (PE) grades, including medical-grade low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and metallocene linear low-density polyethylene (mLLDPE). Market participants also asked PE imports used to make export goods to be exempted from the standards.
