India's activated carbon industry hit by rising coconut shell prices
India's activated carbon industry is feeling the heat as coconut shell prices keep climbing.
This spike is making it tough for Indian manufacturers to compete with China, whose producers are purchasing whole coconuts from Indonesia and the Philippines to manufacture activated carbon.
As a result, China is now grabbing markets in Africa and Europe that used to be India's turf.
ACMAOI sets price guidelines, seeks GST
To help out, the industry group ACMAOI has started setting monthly price guidelines (₹105 to ₹107 a kilogram for September and ₹98 to ₹100 a kilogram for October) and wants coconut shells and charcoal included under the goods and services tax for better transparency.
But bigger issues like US tariffs, shipping disruptions in West Asia, and European Union sanctions are also squeezing exports.
The association says urgent action is needed to keep India competitive worldwide.