Govt starts antidumping probe into opal glass from China, UAE

The government has initiated a probe into alleged dumping of a glass, widely used in lighting fixtures and tableware, by exporters from China and the UAE to protect domestic players, an official told PTI today.

Acting on a complaint of a local producer, the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) -- the Commerce Ministry's designated authority -- has started an investigation into alleged dumping of opal glassware.

"The authority (DGAD) hereby initiates an investigation into the alleged dumping and consequential injury to the domestic industry ... To determine the effect of dumping and to recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty," a Commerce Ministry official said.

The probe would look into the imports between April 2009 and March 2010 and its subsequent impact on the local industry, the official said.

The official added that the probe was started as the DGAD had sufficient evidence of dumping of the product from China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In the recent months, India has imposed 15 anti-dumping duties across various sectors.

It has slapped the restrictive duty on several items such as yarn, fabrics, certain stainless steel products, auto parts and chemicals.

A country initiates anti-dumping probe to see whether its domestic industry has been hurt due to a surge in below-cost imports. As a counter-measure, it imposes duties under the multilateral regime of the WTO.

Such duties ensure fair trading practices and create level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign players resorting to dumping.