Officials: US tariffs increase challenges for petrochemical sector
Petrochemical industry executives told a conference in Singapore that US tariffs are putting increasing pressure on an already challenging sector.
Ganesh Gopalakrishnan, head of petrochemicals trading at TotalEnergies, explained, according to Reuters, that if the tariffs persist, trade in the sector will see another 15% decline, adding to the 34% decline it has seen in the past five years.
Sanjeev Vasudeva, an official at Haldia Petrochemicals, said at the conference that tariffs are making countries more protectionist, and that short-term investment planning has become more difficult due to overcapacity and volatility.
However, he noted that Indian consumption remains healthy with stable growth, a rare bright spot for petrochemicals.
Meanwhile, Bahrain Asmawi, Commercial Director of Malaysian Petronas Chemicals Group, said: “Tariffs are pushing Chinese products into our traditional markets, including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, because they are unable to export their products to the United States
2025-09-09