The domestic producers of cold-rolled flat products and stainless steel and hot rolled products of steel have asked the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping (DGAD), which is currently undertaking a preliminary probe into alleged dumping from a few countries, for “retrospective imposition of duty”.

 

Highly-placed sources in the Government told Business Line here that the producers of these steel products have pointed out to the Designated Authority there is “history of dumping and injury to domestic industry” by such products originating or exported from these countries.

 

The sources admitted that as and when the preliminary probe is over, the authority would definitely accede to the plea of the domestic producers for retrospective imposition of such anti-dumping duty if there is “immoderate growth or spurt in imports” from now.

 

Apart from these two vital industrial products, DGAD is now “actively engaged in conducting anti-dumping investigations for imposition of provisional measures on imports of power steering gear system, plastic processing machinery, tyre cutting pressens, Pencillion-G and diethyl thio phosphoryl chloride (DETC/DETPC) from China, the sources added.

 

In the case of cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel, the authority is looking at such products originating in or exported from China, Japan, Korea, the European Union, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and the US. These products of stainless steel of the width of 600 mm or more of all series further worked, and then cold rolled (cold reduced). These products comprise stainless steel coil, sheets and plates of specific description.

 

In the case of hot rolled products of steel, the authority is looking at such products originating in or exported from China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.

 

The products include hot rolled coils, hot rolled sheets, hot rolled plates, hot rolled strips or any other hot rolled flat products of iron or non-alloy steel of a thickness not exceeding 20 mm and of a width of 600 mm or more, not clad, plated or coated.

 

Trade policy analysts said the imposition of anti-dumping duty itself is a safeguard measure to protect domestic industry from cheap imports threatening its very existence, while the contemplated move to recommend anti-dumping duty on “crying industry” would be a double safeguard measure in troubled times like this when the world economy is distinctly slowing down and protectionist sentiments are gaining strength. –Business Line