Us Anti-Dumping Steps Hitting Exports

A group of experts yesterday expressed concern over growing incidence of anti-dumping investigations, launched by developed nations specially the US, saying it was severely hampering exports from India.

``Indian industry needs to be aware of the measures being taken by developed countries to protect their domestic industry. In particular, the US anti-dumping laws are very sophisticated, disinvestment commission chairman G V Ramakrishna said addressing the session, organised by CII here.

Not only on export front, even in the domestic market indian industry was under pressure with liberalisation and lowering of tariffs besides increaing incidence of dumping into the country, he said. Stating that the US had developed its anti-dumping laws well before the World Trade Organisation agreements, he said Washington usually began investigations a year after provisional duties were levied.

This leads to substantial outgo for affected exporters and the US is using this procedure to supplement law, he said.

Legal expert Lakshmi Kumaran said the decline in average tariff rates would mean lower levels of protection for Indian industry, which was already at a disadvantage in terms of many factors. Timely action from both industry and government is the need of hour with increasing threat of dumping in the current scenario, he said.

Though the united states was the strongest advocate of free trade, it was the most protected economy in the world, he said, adding while European Union and India levied anti-dumping duties to remove the injury caused to the domestic industry, the US based the levy on dumping margin making it as high as possible.

Kumaran also called for immediate setting up of the anti-dumping directorate by the commerce ministry besides seeking induction of sufficient manpower for the directorate.

CII director-general Tarun Das said anti-dumping was taking place as a genuine measure and also as protectionist measure.