Mumbai: India has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of hot-rolled flat metal merchandise from China, Japan and Russia after prime home steelmakers alleged that low-cost imports from these international locations have induced materials damage to the native trade and threaten to inflict additional injury.
The Directorate Normal of Commerce Treatments (DGTR), beneath the commerce ministry, on Thursday issued an initiation notification following an utility filed by JSW Metal Ltd, JSW Vijayanagar Metallics Ltd and Jindal Metal Odisha Ltd. The applying has additionally acquired help from Tata Metal Ltd and Metal Authority of India Ltd (SAIL).
The home trade has sought “retrospective imposition of anti-dumping duties”, arguing that there’s a historical past of dumping within the product class and that delaying duties might result in an extra surge in low-priced imports, inflicting irreparable hurt to Indian producers, the notification mentioned.
“The candidates have claimed that the amount of imports elevated in each absolute phrases and in relation to demand in India over the damage interval,” the notification mentioned. “The topic items had been undercutting costs of the home trade and the topic imports supressed and depressed the costs of home trade. Regardless of elevated gross sales, the common inventories of the home trade elevated. It has been claimed that candidates have suffered losses and declining return on investments as a result of dumped imports.”
This comes after New Delhi imposed a three-year safeguard obligation of 12% on imports of hot-rolled flat merchandise of non-alloy and different alloy metal as the federal government aimed to curb low-cost shipments, particularly from China, Mint reported earlier.
“India’s investigation into HRC imports from China, Japan, and Russia comes amid rising issues over doable dumping, with HRC imports growing by 15-20% in 2025 (which is the investigation interval),” mentioned Dhruv Goel, CEO of Huge Mint, a commodities market intelligence agency.
“Indian mills’ argument is that India has one of many lowest import obligation constructions globally, whereas international locations such because the US, EU, and UK have duties as excessive as 50%. Even when anti-dumping duties are imposed, they may possible apply solely to particular firms and never all imports. These three international locations account for over 50% of India’s HRC imports,” Goel added.
The authority famous that, based mostly on the proof submitted, there may be adequate prima facie proof of dumping, damage to the home trade and a causal hyperlink between the 2 to justify launching a proper investigation. It would now decide the extent of dumping and advocate whether or not anti-dumping duties needs to be imposed.
The interval of investigation will cowl January to December 2025, whereas the damage evaluation will study trade efficiency from April 2022 onwards to evaluate traits over a number of years.
Imports of hot-rolled coils from China rose to 0.77 million tonnes in FY25, accounting for 18.9% of India’s complete HRC imports, whereas shipments from Japan climbed to 1.25 million tonnes, making up 30.6% of imports. Russia’s exports to India remained negligible in FY25 after falling sharply from FY23, in response to BigMint.
The investigation covers hot-rolled flat merchandise of alloy or non-alloy metal that aren’t clad, plated or coated, with a thickness of as much as 25 mm and a width of as much as 2,100 mm. These merchandise are broadly used throughout sectors corresponding to vehicles, oil and fuel pipelines, building, engineering, capital items and manufacturing. The investigation doesn’t embody stainless-steel merchandise.
events, together with exporters, importers and the governments of the topic international locations, have been requested to submit their responses by the watchdog’s portal inside 37 days of receiving the investigation discover. The authority will study submissions from all stakeholders earlier than issuing its remaining findings and recommending whether or not anti-dumping duties needs to be imposed.
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