AgroRenew hampered by tariffs

Friday, June 6, 2025 at 12:58 PM

By Steve Anderson

Officials with AgroRenew say that President Donald Trump's imposition of foreign trade tariffs has delayed its new plant facility in Knox County.

Company Chief Executive Officer Brian Southern issued an update on the project this week. Plans are to construct a full-scale 196,000 square foot bioplastics manufacturing plant on East Elkhorn Road south of Vincennes. However, some of the specialized equipment needed for production comes from Europe and the newly imposed tariffs have added 50% to the costs, increasing the project budget and pushing back the timeline.

Southern says that the new target is to begin operations by the fall of 2026 after harvest season in August. In order for that to happen, the equipment has to arrive by February of 2026. The company has applied for a tariff waiver and are hopeful the 50% tariff will be waived in time. It will not be known for another 2-3 months.

The company reiterated that it remains committed to the project, but cannot install equipment without a finished building.