January 9, 2026

India ADD on Flexible Polyol

India Extends Anti-Dumping Duty on Saudi, UAE Flexible Polyol

PUdaily | Updated: January 8, 2026

The Government of India has extended the existing anti-dumping duty on imports of Flexible Slabstock Polyol of molecular weight 3000–4000 originating in or exported from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates until 17 June 2026, the Ministry of Finance said in a notification issued on Friday.

The extension has been notified through Notification No. 01/2026-Customs (ADD), published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary. The duty was originally imposed in April 2021 to address injury to the domestic industry caused by dumped imports.

The decision follows a sunset review initiated by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) on 18 March 2025 under Section 9A (5) of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975, read with Rule 23 of the Anti-Dumping Rules, 1995. The designated authority had recommended continuation of the duty pending completion of the review.

Accordingly, the Central Government has amended Notification No. 20/2021-Customs (ADD) to provide that, notwithstanding the original expiry date, the anti-dumping duty shall remain in force up to and inclusive of 17 June 2026, unless revoked, superseded, or amended earlier.

Flexible Slabstock Polyol, classified under Customs Tariff Heading 3907 29, is a key raw material used in the manufacture of polyurethane foams, with applications across furniture, bedding, and automotive sectors.

The extension is intended to ensure continued protection to the domestic industry against unfair pricing practices while the sunset review process is underway.

https://www.pudaily.com/Home/NewsDetails/61822

January 5, 2026

Hanwha TDI Update

Hanwha TDI Temporary Shutdown in South Korea

PUdaily | Updated: January 4, 2026

Market sources indicate that Hanwha’s 150,000 tpa TDI plant in South Korea has been temporarily shut down starting from January 2 due to feedstock shortages. The outage is preliminarily expected to last until January 9.

https://www.pudaily.com/Home/NewsDetails/61667

December 15, 2025

Kumho Mitsui to Increase MDI Capacity

Kumho Mitsui Chemicals to Increase Capacity of MDI Production Facilities

Ensuring a steady supply of high-performance materials for mobility and housing

2025.12.15

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) today announced that affiliate Kumho Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (Seoul, South Korea; CEO: PARK Chan-Koo) has decided to further increase the capacity of its production facilities for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate.

Overview of capacity increase

MDI is a key raw material for polyurethane, widely used in automotive parts, furniture and bedding, insulation for homes and refrigerators, elastic fibers, and various adhesives. Demand for MDI is projected to grow at an annual rate of 5 percent going forward on account of policy measures around the globe to improve residential insulation as a means of global warming suppression, as well as due to the heightened demand accompanying economic growth.

Kumho Mitsui Chemicals manufactures and sells high-performance monomeric, modified, and high-viscosity polymeric types of MDI used for making auto parts, elastic fibers, and highly flame-retardant insulation materials, as well as commodity polymeric MDI used for making housing and home appliance insulation. The facility is already operating at full capacity following a 200,000-ton capacity increase in 2024. With this new capacity increase, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals will be able to accommodate growing demand for not only automotive materials, but also the high-performance MDI used in flame-retardant insulation materials.

Furthermore, this move will make full use of the recycling facilities introduced during the previous 200,000-ton capacity increase, reducing GHG emissions per unit of MDI produced. Through these efforts, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals aims to simultaneously reduce the plant’s carbon footprint while improving energy efficiency, thereby contributing to cost rationalization and the establishment of a sustainable production system.

Kumho Mitsui Chemicals is aiming to become a global leader for MDI. With this capacity increase, Mitsui Chemicals will pursue both expansion of the MDI business – which is projected for continued growth going forward – and further improvements to the performance of its MDI products.

Overview of Kumho Mitsui Chemicals

https://jp.mitsuichemicals.com/en/release/2025/2025_1215_1/index.htm

November 6, 2025

BASF to Close Korean PTMEG Plant

BASF drives forward structural adjustments by consolidating Asian polytetrahydrofuran business

BASF is taking decisive action to address structural changes in the global chemical fiber market characterized by significant overcapacities, by consolidating its Asian polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF^®)^* business into its Caojing site in China, while discontinuing PolyTHF production at the Ulsan chemicals site in South Korea. The closure is targeted for completion in 2026.

This decision is part of BASF’s ongoing strategic review of its global production setup to enhance competitiveness, in line with its Winning Ways strategy.

After the closure, BASF will continue to provide its customers with a reliable supply of PolyTHF, leveraging its strong regional production presence in Caojing, China; Ludwigshafen, Germany; and Geismar, the United States, with a total annual production capacity of 250,000 metric tons.

https://www.basf.com/global/en/media/news-releases/2025/11/p-25-222

October 19, 2025

India Tariff Update

India’s exports to US plunge as Trump’s 50% tariffs bite

2 days ago

Abhishek DeyBBC News, Guwahati

India’s goods exports to the US, its largest foreign market, dropped sharply by 20% in September and nearly 40% in the last four months, as Trump’s steep tariffs took effect, data shows.

September was the first full month of Washington’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods, which kicked in on 27 August. This includes a 25% penalty for Delhi’s refusal to stop buying oil from Russia.

“US has become India’s most severely affected market since the tariff escalation began,” said Ajay Srivastava of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank.

Negotiations for a trade deal between the two countries are under way, with the goal of concluding an agreement by next month.

According to GTRI, the most significant impact of the tariffs has been felt by labour-heavy sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and chemicals, which have suffered the heaviest losses.

Shipments to the US have seen four consecutive months of decline, and are down 37.5% – from $8.8bn (£6.5bn) in May to $5.5bn in September.

The drop in exports have also contributed to India’s trade deficit (the gap between what a country imports and exports), which widened to a 13-month high of $32.15 billion in September.

Some of the reduction in exports to the US was cushioned by improved trade with countries like the UAE and China.

Trade negotiations between India and the US resumed last month after months of stalling over a number of differences. An Indian delegation is currently in the US for talks.

On Wednesday, Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to stop buying Russian oil, as the US seeks to put economic pressure on the Kremlin as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

A spokesperson of the Indian foreign ministry said discussions were “ongoing” with the US administration which had “shown interest in deepening energy co-operation with India”.

But major sticking points over trade still remain, including access to agriculture and dairy.

For years, Washington has pushed for greater access to India’s farm sector, seeing it as a major untapped market. But India has fiercely protected it, citing food security, livelihoods and the interests of millions of small farmers.

Until recently, the US was India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $190bn in 2024. Trump and Modi have set a target to more than double this figure to $500bn.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70jw0nylrgo