JULY, 20269India's industrial and chemical industry are seeing fresh investments, policy shifts and capacity expansion across agriculture, specialty chemicals, petrochemicals and fertilizers. The latest developments include Dhanuka Agritech's planned INR 200 crore pesticide plant in Nagpur, a proposed paraquat ban, rising demand for semiconductor cleaning chemicals and stronger quarterly sales at South Korea's SK Chemicals.At the same time, India is expanding its uranium production plans, adding major petrochemical capacity in West Bengal and benefiting from lower global urea prices. Together, these developments show how chemical companies and policymakers are responding to supply, cost and demand changes. Odisha is strengthening its position as a solar manufacturing hub with another major capacity addition. Saatvik Solar has signed an MoU to establish a 3.6 GW solar cell manufacturing facility in Gopalpur, Ganjam district.The agreement was signed with the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL). The proposed plant will form part of Saatvik Solar's Phase II expansion in the state. The project comes as India pushes to expand domestic solar manufacturing capacity. It also adds to Odisha's growing role in the renewable energy manufacturing sector. Indian MSME exporters stand at a crucial point as India expands its network of free trade agreements. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged smaller enterprises to use these trade pacts to expand the global reach of Indian products. This is to further integrate with international value chains and strengthen competitiveness. India has Critical minerals are moving from a resource issue to a manufacturing priority as India plans four processing parks across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The government wants these parks to accelerate value addition for battery materials, starting with lithium and nickel.Each park will build an element-specific ecosystem that combines processing with downstream industries in one location. The plan forms part of the National Critical Mineral Mission, which carries a seven-year outlay of Rs 34,300 crore. As batteries, electric vehicles, power networks and clean-energy technologies drive demand, India is targeting the processing gap that can determine the value its ecosystem captures. Samsung's Asia-Pacific HVAC push has gained a new manufacturing base in Pune. The company plans to target rising demand for AI data-center cooling across India and regional markets. Samsung Electronics has completed a 13,826-square-metre FläktGroup facility that will manufacture advanced heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment.The plant can progressively reach 6,500 HVAC units annually and will serve customers in India and Asia-Pacific. Samsung selected Pune for its expanding data-center and industrial ecosystem, proximity to Mumbai and major logistics infrastructure. INDIA CHEMICAL INDUSTRY SEES MAJOR INVESTMENTS AND MARKET CHANGESWHY ODISHA IS EMERGING AS INDIA'S NEW SOLAR MANUFACTURING HUBCAN INDIAN MSMES FULLY CAPITALIZE ON THE FTA OPPORTUNITY?INDIA TARGETS THE MISSING MIDDLE IN CRITICAL MINERALSWHY SAMSUNG CHOSE PUNE FOR ITS ASIA-PACIFIC HVAC PUSHplant. Amit Metaliks also plans waste-heat recovery, zero-liquid discharge, water recycling, gas-cleaning systems and slag reutilization. finalized FTAs with about 40 countries since 2014, creating opportunities across sectors including textiles, machinery and medicines.However, exporters say the bigger challenge lies in converting preferential market access into actual export orders. Businesses must also meet rules of origin, product standards and market-specific requirements across different destinations.
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