Govt not to impose anti-dumping duty on certain copper items import

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The government has decided not to impose anti-dumping on imports of certain copper products, used in the electrical industry, from China, Thailand, Korea and three other countries, according to an office memorandum.

In April, the commerce ministry's arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) recommended imposing the duty on "copper and copper alloy flat-rolled products" from China, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, after conducting a probe.

"The central government has decided not to impose anti-dumping duty on imports of copper and copper alloy flat-rolled products originating in or exported from China, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, proposed in the said final findings (of DGTR)," according to the office memorandum, dated July 2, of the revenue department.

The duty proposed by the DGTR was in the range of USD 42 per tonne to USD 1,077 per tonne.

The finance ministry takes the final call to impose these duties and issues notification for the same.

Copper flat-rolled products are used in power distribution, electrical and electronic switchgear, automotive electronics, and radiators.

The directorate is the investigative arm of the commerce ministry, which probes dumping of goods, a significant increase in imports and subsidised imports from India's trade partners.

Countries carry out anti-dumping probes to determine whether their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports. As a countermeasure, they impose duties under the multilateral regime of the WTO (World Trade Organisation).

The duty is to ensure fair trade practices and create a level playing field for domestic producers concerning foreign producers and exporters.