223 anti-dumping investigations initiated by India against various countries

The Dollar Business Bureau

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Nirmala Sitharaman said India has initiated as many as 223 anti-dumping investigations against various countries between 2012 and July 14 of 2017. The maximum number of cases were hoisted against China (62), the minister added.

The minister said, "As on July 14, 2017, anti-dumping duty is on force in 141 cases and 54 more cases have been initiated.” The categories of products on which the duty was imposed include chemicals, fibre boards, glass and glassware, pharmaceuticals and steel.

The directorate general of anti-dumping and allied duties (DGAD) receives applications from domestic producers for imposition of the duty on various products. Countries impose anti-dumping duties to protect the domestic industry from a surge in below cost imports. The minister clarified that ‘anti-dumping steps are taken periodically by many countries to ensure fair trade and to provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry. The same should not be construed as curbing imports or cause an unjustified increase in the cost of products.’

In a separate reply to the Parliament on SEZs she replied that, ‘during the last 5 years and this fiscal (June 30), more time has been devoted to as many as 145 SEZ developers to complete their projects. As per SEZ rules the letter of approval granted to a developer is valid for a period of 3 years during which time the developer has to take effective steps to implement the approved project.’ She appealed to the Board of Approval of SEZs in the country to extend the validity period of the letter of approval to provide further help to the developers.