Shrimp exporters get relief from some U.S. duties

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The United States has withdrawn some duties imposed on exports of shrimp from India, the Indian trade ministry said on Monday.

India's seafood exports including frozen shrimps stood at $3.5 billion in the 2012/13 fiscal year according to industry estimates. About a fifth of the exports were to the United States.

The decision comes ahead of a visit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington later this week, and at a time when both countries are trying to resolve a number of trade disputes.

Similar duties were also lifted on shrimp exports from other countries including China, Malaysia and Vietnam, the ministry said in a statement.

The United States International Trade Commission imposed a 5.85 percent countervailing duty on Indian shrimp exports last year in response to alleged price advantages enjoyed by Indian exporters due to government subsidies.

The duty was withdrawn after some of the subsidies schemes came to an end, the statement said.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar)