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New Delhi: Maintaining a steady supply of essential petrochemical inputs amid the West Asia conflict remains a concern for India's pharmaceutical industry, even though the government has waived customs duties on several of these products until June 30, according to industry executives.They said that while the duty waiver provides some cost relief to the sector, the main challenge is securing supplies and ensuring their timely movement."The government's decision to waive duties on select petrochemical products demonstrates its commitment to standing by the pharma industry but the far bigger challenge lies in ensuring the supply and timely movement of these materials," said Mehul Shah, a pharma industry expert.Shah pointed out that Saudi chemical giant SABIC declaring force majeure on methanol and styrene validates the industry's supply concerns.The disruption to shipping at the Strait of Hormuz has hit production of chemicals globally, especially in West Asia and Asia.The government on Thursday announced a temporary waiver on customs duty on over 40 critical petrochemical products, including anhydrous ammonia, methanol, styrene and polymers like PVC and PET chips.Namit Joshi, chairman of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), said it the duty waiver will be helpful only if the exporting nations maintain their invoicing price. "Unfortunately, that is beyond our control. Maximum benefit of duty-free imports which can be availed by us would not exceed 8.25%," he said.Rajiv Nath, forum coordinator, the Association of Indian Medical Devices Industry (AiMeD), said the government's intervention directly addresses the severe inflationary cost pressures faced by Indian medical devices manufacturers due to supply chain disruptions from the West Asia conflict."This will ensure supply stability, lower input costs for the sector, and support uninterrupted production of life-saving devices amid global volatility," he said. "This exemption will benefit not only medical devices but also pharmaceuticals, packaging and other downstream industries, ultimately easing burdens on healthcare providers and patients."Shipping routes through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, which are the critical arteries for global trade in energy and chemicals, have been facing mounting disruption. Many vessels have been rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to delivery timelines and stretching the inventory buffers that pharma manufacturers typically maintain.Significantly, the restoration of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme to its previous level, reversing an earlier 50% reduction in rates, has also been appreciated, with industry leaders saying it will meaningfully improve the global competitiveness of Indian medical devices and pharmaceutical exports."The recent reversal of the earlier 50% reduction in RoDTEP rates is a positive and encouraging move. It will significantly enhance the competitiveness of the Indian medical devices industry on the global stage and support export growth," said Himanshu Baid, managing director of Poly Medicure Ltd.