NEW DELHI, Apr 9: The Commerce Ministry’s arm DGTR has recommended imposition of anti-dumping duty on imports of hydraulic rock breakers from China, and Korea for five years to protect the domestic industry from cheap inbound shipments.
The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended the duty after conducting an investigation on the dumped imports of these machines from these two countries.
“The authority recommends imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties…For a period of five years…,” the DGTR’s notification has said.
DOZCO (India) had filed the application for the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation on these imports from China and Korea.
The recommended duty was in the range of 4.55 per cent and 162.5 per cent of CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) value in US dollar terms.
In a separate notification, the directorate said anti-dumping has also been recommended on imports of ‘Sodium Cyanide’ from China, the European Union, Japan, and Korea for five years.
The recommended duty on the cyanide was in the range of USD 13 and USD 554 per tonne.
In its study, the DGTR has concluded that the imports were suppressing the prices of the domestic industry.
Further, the directorate has also asked for imposing the duty on imports of ‘Easy open ends of tin plate, including electrolytic tin plate, measuring 401 Diameter (99MM) and 300 Diameter (73MM) in dimension” from China.
The DGTR has also initiated an alleged dumping probe on a Chinese chemical – PEDA – used in herbicides.
India Pesticides Ltd has filed an application for starting the probe.
While DGTR, which is under the commerce ministry, recommends the duty, the finance ministry takes the final decision to impose the same within three months of the recommendation.
Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to check if their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in below-cost imports. As a countermeasure, they impose duties within the multilateral regime of the WTO (World Trade Organisation).
Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. It is not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in the cost of products. (PTI)