Indian specialty chemical makers are eyeing a window of opportunity in the US market, as steep tariffs on China and other Asian exporters tilt the playing field.
Rossari Biotech and Laxmi Organic say early signs from customers suggest growing interest in shifting supply chains toward India.
“There is a silver lining to the dark clouds,” said Sunil Chari, Co-founder and MD at Rossari Biotech. “We were competing with China and others in our non-ethoxylate range. Now, all three countries face higher tariffs.” Rossari expects the changes to help push up exports to the US, where it currently sells around 2% of its total sales.
Chari added that Rossari’s US customers were “more bullish on India than China” and said demand has been improving. The company is holding on to its growth guidance of 12–13% for the current year and expects 10–12% growth in the financial year ending in March 2026 (FY26).
Tariffs imposed by the US are significantly higher on key chemical exporters like China (34%), South Korea (25%), Japan (24%) and the EU (20%). India, in comparison, is better placed, especially in specialty chemicals, where pricing power matters less for customers focused on performance. The existing rate for US chemical imports from India was around 3.5%.
also expects the tariff shift to work in India’s favour. “The US is not producing the entire range of chemicals. So if you’re putting in tariffs, this will have an implication on finished goods pricing,” said Rajan Venkatesh, MD and CEO. “That could drive inflation there, but create room for Indian players.”
Laxmi Organic gets about 10% of its revenue from the US and is in talks with several large clients. Venkatesh said the company is also watching how other countries respond. “Taiwan, for example, is already supporting its impacted industries. Others may follow.”
Both companies said they are still trying to gauge how the full picture will unfold, but early conversations with global buyers point to India gaining ground in global supply chains.
Institutional brokerage firm B&K Securities believes the lower tariffs on Indian chemicals are a positive development for the sector. Brokerage firm DAM Capital also expects this shift to significantly enhance the competitiveness of Indian players versus their Chinese counterparts.
For other Indian chemical players like SRF, the US contributes roughly 12% to overall revenue. Navin Fluorine earns 65% of overall revenue from the export market.
