Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics Export Promotion Council, popularly known as CHEMEXCIL was established in the year 1963 with it's headquarters at Mumbai, with the objective of making concerted efforts to promote exports of Basic Organic and Inorganic Chemicals, Dyes, Pesticides, Soaps, Detergents, Cosmetics, Toiletries and other products like Agarbattis, Essential, Castor Oil etc. The wide ranging structural reforms resulting in unwinding the complex knots of controlled economy has enabled the country to integrate with the global economy. This radical shift and change in the mind-set helped CHEMEXCIL to play a committed, complementary and catalyst role in promoting the exports of Chemical groups. This can be evidenced from the rapid growth in the Membership base of CHEMEXCIL across the length and breadth of the country as well as the strides made in exports of Chemical groups in the last 42 years.

CHEMEXCIL has four separate panels, each panel being specialized unit guiding the export interests of the items covered under it's purview:

1) Dyes & Dye Intermediates

2) Basic Inorganic and Organic Chemicals including Agro Chemicals

3) Cosmetics, Toiletries, Essential Oils

4) Agarbattis.

CHEMEXCIL also promotes exports of Castor Oil and Derivatives of Castor Oil.

The activities of the Council are governed by the Committee of Administration which is the supreme organ of the Council. Three fourth members of the Committee are elected from amongst industry and trade while the rest are nominees of the Govern­ment. In addition to this each of the above group of commodi­ties, known as 'Panels' has it's own committee which looks after the specific interests of the panels. The Council also has some functional committees which attend to some specialised aspects of Council's work like Projects, Publicity and Exhibitions, Registration. and Export Assistance, Budget etc.

Colour touches every facet of Indian life, be it at dance, be it at food, be it at festival, be it at wedding or be it at fabrics. From a traditional user of natural colouring material like indigo, India has today emerged as a major producer and exporter of quality synthetic organic dyes and pigments. India manufactures a wide range of Dyestuffs used by the Textile, Leather, Paper, Ink, Plastic and Paint industry. The quality of Dyes made in India meets the exacting standards set by International customers. Most Dyestuff manufacturing units have in-house testing laboratories and quality control procedures. Large Scale Manufacturers have sophisticated R & D centres manned by qualified technical personnel. A national R & D corporation have been set-up by the Government of India with the objective of making available the processes developed in different national laboratories. Today Indian Dyestuffs are being exported to East, South and West Asia, Africa, European Countries. From a meagre export of 1.5 million US dollar in 1963-64 export during 1979-80 reached a level of 35 million US dollar and has touched 1109 million US dollar during 2004--2005.

Chemical industry form the backbone of the industrial and agriculture development of India. The Basic Inorganic and Organic Chemicals produced by the industry provide building block for several down stream industries such as Drugs, Dyestuffs, Paper, Synthetic Rubber, Plastics, Polyester, Paints, Pesticides, Detergents. The Chemical Industry has placed India on the World map with an outstanding export performance. Export of this sector was 1.6 million US dollar in 1963-64 and was 24 million US dollar in 1979-80 and has shot up to 1471 million US dollar during 2004-2005.

The Indian Cosmetic Industry continues a beautiful blend of traditional and the modern. There are traditional Toiletries items like Perfumes and Ethers, Perfumed Hair Oil, Talcum Powder, Kajol, Sindoor, Kum-Kum, Bindi and Herbal Cosmetics and Toiletries. Exports of Cosmetics & Toiletries from India was 1.3 million US dollar in 1963-64 and 25.7 million US dollar in 1979-80 and touched 336 million US dollar during 2004-2005. The Indian Cosmetics Industry can match International Standards when comes to quality, price and range. The Agarbatti or Incense Stick as it is referred to abroad is popularly known as the fragrant ambassador of India. The Agarbatti industry depends heavily on forest products for its raw materials and India enjoys a natural advantage since nature has bestowed upon it a vast expanse of forest land. Indian Agarbattis have been spreading its fragrance across the globe in East and West Europe, Southern and West Asia, Africa, USA and Canada.

India, the botanical garden of the world, with the record of botanical wealth that consists over 2000 type of Medicinal and Essential Oil bearing Plants. Nearly three-fourth of Botanical Drugs mentioned in different Pharmacopoeias are grown in India in their natural state. No wonder, India is an emporium of Medicinal Plants. Amongst the oil exporter, Sandalwood still holds the enviable position as the queen of Essential Oils and is a virtual monopoly of India. Lemon Grass Oil, Jasmine, Tube-Rose Concrete are also in great demand overseas.

India is a largest Castor growing country and has proven to be a dependable source of export to countries like France, Germany, USA, Japan, UK. The Netherland, Brazil and China. Exports which were 9 million US dollar in 1963-64 and 13.6 million US dollar in 1979-80 touched 224 million US dollar during 2004-2005.

(Rs. in millions)