Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 22 (PTI) The chemical sector in the country needs to be more self-reliant and cost-effective, industry stakeholders said on Friday.

To bring down its dependence on external sources, the sector should strengthen the collaboration between research and development institutions and industry, they said.

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The Industry Connect meeting on 'Chemical Synergy: Bridging Industries with Synthetic Expertise,' was organised by CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) on its campus at Pappanamcode near here today.

ElixGlobal mentor Srinivas Lanka and Crystal Crop Protection Ltd., VP-R&D, Rajeev R Jha, were the guests of honour at the function, which also featured Ambernath Organics Pvt Ltd managing director Santosh Nandan.

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Setting the context for deliberations, C Anandharamakrishnan, Director, CSIR-NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram, highlighted India's significant role as an exporter of chemicals, especially specialty chemicals.

In his address, Srinivas Lanka emphasised the need to minimise dependence on external sources like China and called for self-reliance in the chemical sector.

He noted the importance of developing cost-effective methods for drug intermediates, identifying flow chemistry and enzyme technologies as promising areas for immediate exploration.

Panel discussions on various topics ranging from the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, exploring the untapped potential within India's specialty and fine chemical landscape to R&D hurdles in the chemical and pharmaceuticals industries were also held.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)