Daily Times

KARACHI: The National Tariff Commission (NTC) imposed anti-dumping duty on Chinese and South African origin colour coated steel coils and sheets imports on Wednesday.

The NTC imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on the said dumped imports in the range of 5.36 percent to 14.24 percent.

An analyst at Elixir Research said this anti-dumping duty can potentially help in addressing pressures on GC (sheets) segment which is strangled by decline in GC-CRC spreads to $20/ton from historical average of $80/ton in local market, and decline in local production and market share on account of mis-declaration of GC (by commercial importers) as color coated coil to avoid anti-dumping duties.

The NTC had initiated an anti-dumping investigation on June 10, 2017 after establishing that the application lodged by International Steels Limited Karachi was in accordance with Sections 20 and 24 of the Act.

The investigation concerns dumping of colour coated coils and sheets, originating in and exported from China and South Africa into Pakistan and material injury caused thereby as well as threat of material injury to the domestic industry manufacturing colour coated coils and sheets.

The NTC said 14 exporters of investigated product from China provided information in response to the questionnaire, while no producers from South Africa provided information. “The Commission is satisfied that the number of the exporters involved is so large and it is impracticable to determine an individual dumping margin of all cooperating exporters from China”.

The Commission has established that there was a significant increase in volume of dumped imports of the investigated product and significant price undercutting in the domestic market. Resultantly, the domestic industry suffered material injury on account of low level of production, low level of capacity utilisation, decline in market share and negative effect on inventories and growth.

Besides, the Commission determined that the dumped imports are posing imminent threat of material injury to the domestic industry on account of likely further increase in the volume of dumped imports, idle capacities of like product in the exporting countries, excess production of like product in the exporting countries and trade defense actions taken by other countries against China steel products.

In order to prevent material injury to the domestic industry, the NTC, has decided to impose definitive anti-dumping duties at the rates mentioned below on C&F value in ad val. terms on imports of colour coated coils imported from the exporting countries under PCT Heading Nos. 7210.7020, 7210.7090, 7212.4010 and 7212.4090, for a period of five years with effect from June 13, 2018, added NTC.