India may impose anti-circumvention duty on steel items from 7 countries

Govt resumed investigations into circumvention of anti-dumping duties

India may impose an anti-circumvention duty on certain stainless steel products originating from seven destinations to insulate domestic players.

The government has resumed investigations into circumvention of anti-dumping duties after a stay order was vacated recently by a court. The products originate from China, Korea, EU, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and the US.

The government has resumed the investigations into circumvention of anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel widths from 600 mm to 1,250 mm after the stay order was vacated.

The probe was initiated in February last year by the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), under the Commerce Ministry, on a complaint by Jindal Stainless, but it was stayed on April 27, 2016, by the Delhi High Court. The stay was vacated on March 8, 2017.

Earlier in a notification, the DGAD had stated that it has sufficient evidence of circumvention of anti-dumping duties leviable on cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel originating from these seven destinations.

The probe would determine the existence, degree and effect of the alleged circumvention and would also examine the need to extend the existing anti-dumping duty to the circumventing products.

It was alleged that the existing anti-dumping measures imposed in 2010, and amended later, are being circumvented.

In December 2015, India had imposed an anti-dumping duty of up to 57.39 per cent on import of the products from China, Korea, the US and EU for five years to save the domestic industry from cheap shipments.