The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, launched toluene, a product of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), during his visit to the refinery in Mangaluru on Saturday.

A media statement said with an annual production capacity of 40,000 tonnes, MRPL’s toluene facility exemplifies India’s progress towards self-reliance and global competitiveness in the petrochemical sector.

A versatile aromatic hydrocarbon, toluene plays a vital role in industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, paints and defence. Though India’s annual demand for toluene stands at about 650,000 tonnes, domestic production is about 160,000 tonnes. The statement said MRPL’s addition of 40,000 tonnes per year will help bridge this gap, contributing to significant foreign exchange savings of approximately $3 million annually.

This initiative represents a major stride in reducing India’s dependency on imports while bolstering industrial and economic growth in line with the vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, it added.