Update: India reinstated polymer import tariffs as temporary zero-duty window expires

India’s domestic petrochemical and processing sectors face an immediate shift in landed raw material costs following the official expiration of the temporary zero-duty import window.

Effective this morning, 16 July 2026, baseline customs duties have automatically been reinstated on imported polymers and essential chemical intermediates after the 15-day extension granted under Notification No. 22/2026-Customs reached its hard deadline without further government intervention. The lapse marks the conclusion of an emergency relief framework first introduced on 01 April, which provided complete customs duty waivers on 40 critical petrochemical products to protect downstream industries from supply chain shocks when domestic oil marketing companies were ordered to prioritise LPG production.

With the expiration of this transitional buffer, major imported polymers including PE, PP, and PVC, alongside key chemical feedstocks like styrene and monoethylene glycol, immediately revert to standard tariff rates.

This automatic fiscal reset shifts the cost burden back onto downstream converters in the packaging, automotive, and textile sectors, signalling that New Delhi considers the domestic supply squeeze sufficiently normalized to dismantle emergency import protections.

Written by: Aiman Haikal