The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced that the average anti-dumping tariff on shrimp products from 29 Vietnamese exporting companies will be lowered from 4.57 to 2.89 per cent.

This preliminary decision was made at DOC’s fourth administrative review from 1 February 2008 to 31 January 2009.

Vietnam’s Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said one of the two compulsory defendants in the anti-dumping lawsuit - the Minh Phu Seafood Company - pays the highest duty at 3.27 per cent, while the second defendant - the Nha Trang Seafood Joint Stock Company - pays the lowest at 2.5 per cent. Minh Phu had its tariff raised from 0.43 to 3.27 per cent, while Nha Trang  had its tariff reduced from 4.57 to 2.5 per cent.

“The result has made us feel more confident. We hope the anti-dumping tariff will be cut to 0 per cent in the future,” said Ngo Van Ich, director of Nha Trang, reports The Saigon Times Daily.

Meanwhile, seafood exporters QVD, Vinh Hoan, SAMEFICO and Cadovimex II may enjoy no tariff for their frozen ‘tra’ fillet exports to the US, VOVNews reports.

Currently, DOC is still imposing an average anti-dumping duty of USD 0.02 per kg of tra fillet exported by the An Giang Seafood Import-Export Company (Agifish) and East Sea (ESS JVC), and another USD 2.11 per kg on other companies’ products.

VASEP General Secretary Truong Dinh Hoe said anti-dumping tariffs are adjusted yearly based on shrimp exports prices to the US, and that each company’s dumping range is based on the average dumping band of compulsory defendants.

The anti-dumping tariffs will be enforced once the US makes its final decision 90 days after the announcement of the fourth review’s preliminary results, Dinh Hoe told.

As for pangasius exports, DOC made its decision after conducting its fifth administrative review of Vietnam’s tra fillet exports to the US market from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008. VASEP Vice Chairman Nguyen Huu Dung said DOC will set out its final decision after four months.

Thursday, March 18, 2010, 01:40 (GMT + 9)

Source: www.fis.com