India likely to impose USD 92/ton antidumping duty on chemical import from 4 nations

NEW DELHI: India is likely to impose antidumping duty of up to USD 92.23 per tonne on import of a chemical used in pharmaceutical and agriculture sectors from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, following a DGAD probe.

The duty, if imposed, will protect domestic players from cheap imports of 'saturated fatty alcohols' from these four nations.

DGAD - the investigating arm of the commerce ministry - initiated a probe into the alleged dumping of the chemical on a complaint from the domestic industry.

The probe concluded that the product was exported to India from these nations "below its associated normal value, thus, resulting in dumping of the product," DGAD said in a notification.

It also said some of the imports were causing material injury to the domestic industry.

"The authority recommends imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty equal to the lesser of the margin of dumping and the margin of injury, so as to remove the injury to the domestic industry," it said.

Antidumping duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.

Imposing such duty is permissible under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.

Both India and China are members of the Geneva-based body.

VVF (India) Ltd had filed the application for initiating the antidumping investigation concerning imports of saturated fatty alcohols.

The Directorate General of Antidumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has recommended the duty in the range of USD 92.23-7.10 per tonne.

Finance ministry takes the final call to impose these duties.

Certain companies from the four countries are entering the Indian market at dumped prices and such imports are causing injury to the similar product being produced by the domestic industry.

The chemical is mainly used in sectors like personal care, home care, pharmaceutical, agriculture related end applications.

It is also used in processing of articles of leather, textile, fur, paper, petroleum products and rubber items.