Alkali chemicals production volume in India FY 2013-2022

In fiscal year 2022, approximately nine million metric tons of alkali chemicals were produced across India. These chemicals acted as intermediates and helped to manufacture chemicals necessary for textiles, paper and pulp, soap, detergents, etc.

Chemical industry in India

The chemical industry in the country is one of the most diverse, with over 80,000 products. In 2021, India was the sixth largest producer of chemicals in the world and the fifth largest in Asia. Divided based on consumption, base chemicals made up an important type within the industry. Others included specialty chemicals and agrochemicals. Over 60 percent of the chemical industry was located in the western part of India, with 53 percent in Gujarat alone. Some of the reasons for this were better connectivity, easily available skilled labor, and favorable policies. The total production volume of basic major chemicals and petrochemicals in India amounted to nearly 18,000 metric tons since fiscal year 2021.

Major chemicals

Among the three major chemicals under this category, soda ash was the second most widely manufactured alkali chemical in the country. In 2021, soda ash production volume amounted to around 2.6 million metric tons. The alkali chemical with the highest production volume that year was caustic soda, at 2.96 million metric tons.