VietNamNet Bridge – The US Department of Commerce (DOC) decided to exempt four Vietnamese frozen warm-water shrimp export and processing companies from anti-dumping tariffs after a lengthy second administrative review, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).

The country expected to earn $1.68 billion from shrimp exports this year.
The four companies are Minh Phat Seafood Co Ltd, Ca Mau Frozen Seafood Processing Import Export Corporation (Camimex), Grobest & I-Mei Industry Vietnam and Viet Hai Seafoods Company Ltd (Viet Nam Fish One Co Ltd).

The DOC said in a Federal Register Notice on Tuesday that the four companies did not sell merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review, February 1, 2006 through January 31, 2007.

Under the final decision, the department imposed a tax of 4.3 per cent for Minh Hai Joint Stock Seafoods Processing Company (Seaprodex Minh Hai), a tax of 4.57 per cent for 23 exporters, and a higher tax rate of 25.76 per cent for another 35 exporters.

The average rate is applied retrospectively to revenue for exports shipped to the US between February 1, 2006 and January 31, 2007.

The final decision conflicted with preliminary results announced in March, indicating 28 exporters and processors getting zero or minimal rate.

Truong Dinh Hoe, deputy general secretary of VASEP, said the association would require the DoC to re-consider the final decision on imposing the tax for the 23 shrimp export and processing firms with a high tax rate.

In the first administrative review on Vietnamese shrimp exporters in September 2007, the DoC decided to cut tariffs from 4.57 per cent to 0.01 per cent for Viet Hai and to 1.08 per cent for Grobest.

The country expected to earn $1.68 billion from shrimp exports this year, accounting for roughly 40 per cent of Vietnam's total seafood export earnings.