US trade body to review shrimp imports

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will announce its final verdict on whether to continue or not the anti-dumping duty, imposed on shrimps exported from India by October-end this year.

The seafood exporters fraternity here has expressed hope that the US ITC would consider revoking the anti-dumping duty favourably in the light of the long-term damages caused to the fisheries sector in India.

A four-member US delegation visited the tsunami affected area in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and held discussions with the exporting community and the officials recently.

The delegation will submit its report to ITC on September 14 and there will be further hearing in September itself, it is learnt.

ITC had imposed 14.2 per cent anti-dumping duty on India - along with other exporting countries like China, Taiwan and Vietnam in February 2004. Later commission had reduced it to 10.14 per cent. This had been imposed in the light of complaints lodged by local shrimp farmers in the US and had affected the shrimp exports very badly.

Seventy per cent of the revenue of India's marine products exports is from shrimp and the US is the largest importer of shrimp from India. A J Tharakan, president, Seafood Exporters Association of India (Seai) said the delegation is on a fact-finding mission and Seai has explained the damages caused to the Indian fisheries sector in detail.

He said the fisheries sector in India has suffered permanent ecological damages due to tsunami and India's export industry has been affected very badly by this. He declined to comment on the attitude of the US delegation.

"We had described the damages caused to the fisheries and export industries - especially to hatcheries and shrimp farms. We had also provided them with facts to support our arguments," he said.

G Mohankumar, chairman, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), told Business Standard that the US team would submit its report and the final verdict by US ITC is expected by October-end. Indian industry will also be represented in the hearing scheduled in September. It is too early to comment on the proceedings in this regard, he added.

India had exported 461,329 tonne marine products valued at Rs 6,646.69 crore during 2004-05.