India Imposes Anti-dumping Duty Like on Grinding Media Balls Imports

India is likely to impose anti-dumping duty of up to USD 387 per tonne on imports of Grinding Media Balls, mainly used in thermal power plants, from China and Thailand to protect domestic players from cheaper shipments.

In final findings, the Directorate General of anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) has concluded that the domestic industry has "suffered material injury" due to the "dumped imports" of the product from these two countries.

The restrictive duty recommended by the DGAD will vary from USD 387.36 per tonne to USD 158.8 per tonne, the Commerce Ministry has said in a notification.

The DGAD has also concluded that 'Grinding Media Balls' (excluding Forged Grinding Media Balls) has been exported to India below its normal value, thus, resulting in dumping of the product, it said.

It said the imports from these nations have increased significantly during the period of investigation (January- December, 2010).

Imports of the product from China and Thailand have increased to 133 tonne and 2,236 tonne during January - December 2010 from 34 tonne and 435 tonne respectively in 2007-08, it said.

The product is also extensively used in cement build materials, metal mine, coal slurry, chemical engineering, ceramic industry, light industry such as paper making.

The DGAD is a nodal investigation agency under the Commerce Ministry. However, a final call on imposition of the duty will be taken by the Finance Ministry.

The DGAD had initiated the probe on the complaint of AIA Engineering Ltd and Welcast Steels Ltd alleging dumping of the product from China and Thailand.

Unlike safeguard duties, which are levied in a uniform manner, anti-dumping duty varies from product to product and country to country.

Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to check if their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in cheap, or below-normal-cost, imports.

As a counter-measure, they impose duties, as provided for under the multilateral regime of the WTO.

Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to domestic players. It is not a measure to restrict imports or cause an unjustified increase in the cost of products.

India has initiated 275 anti-dumping investigations between 1992 and March 2012, involving 42 countries. As on December 2011, measures in respect of 112 cases are in force.

The countries prominently figuring in anti-dumping investigations are China, Korea and Singapore and the major product categories on which anti-dumping duty has been levied are chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceutical, steel and consumer goods.