A shrimp processing line. Some exporters will have to deliver written submissions to the US on 3 February. (Photo: NFDB)

US to review anti-dumping duty on shrimp imports

INDIA
Thursday, January 14, 2010, 15:30 (GMT + 9)

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) will soon review the US’s anti-dumping duty on Indian shrimp imports. It will determine whether continued imports of shrimp from India, Brazil, China, Thailand and Vietnam would harm the domestic shrimp industry in the US within a set period of time.

Under the US Tariff Act of 1930, all tariffs are reviewed every five years. The anti-dumping duty on shrimp imports from the aforementioned countries enforced from 2005 will be revoked or left intact pending a fresh evaluation, reports Financial Express.

Indian seafood exporters will have to respond to enquiries from USITC and the US Department of Commerce. The latter will evaluate the export process of individual exporters and the USITC the industry’s entire practice, according to the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI).

Exporters whose seafood made up at least 50 per cent of the total shrimp exports to the US during the last five years will have to provide their written submissions to the Department of Commerce on 3 February, a month from the time they received the official notification of the sunset review, The Hindu reports.

The Department of Commerce may choose certain major respondents to run additional and more through enquiries due to responses from the export community.

Both US entities will perform their enquiries individually. The anti-dumping duties can be revoked if either body determines that the revocation of duties will not further impair the US shrimp industry, which mostly harvests wild shrimp.

The US cut anti-dumping duties for Indian shrimp from 10.17 per cent after the first original review in 2005 to 0.79 per cent.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is the original petitioner against India and other countries from which the US imports shrimp. The USITC responded by instituting anti-dumping duties worth billions of dollars.

Customs bonds, or cash guarantees collected by US customs against any added rise in the anti-dumping duty, were also imposed.

In consequence, fewer than 75 out of 228 Indian shrimp exporters continued to do business with the US. Because frozen shrimp exports make up almost 50 per cent of the value of India‘s total seafood exports, these moves had an injurious impact on the country’s aquaculture farms.

Related articles:

- US customs bonds still pending: shrimp exporters
- VASEP calls US zeroing method 'unfair'

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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