The US Department of Commerce (DoC) has decided to choose Indonesia
as the sole benchmark country to calculate the anti-dumping rate on
frozen tra fish fillets imported from Vietnam.
This is
part of the final results of the 8th Administrative Review of the
antidumping duty order on Certain Catfish Filets from Vietnam, which was
announced by DOC on March 14.
Previously Bangladesh
which shares many similarities with Vietnam in breeding standards
and input costs, was the benchmark country.
Following this
decision, which will take effect as of next week until early 2014 before
its next administrative review, Vietnamese tra exporters will have to
pay much higher duties.
Vinh Hoan Co has the highest export
turnover to the US and used to enjoy a zero percent tax rate, but it
has been subject to the new rate of 0.19 USD per kilo.
Sixteen other exporters will be subject to higher rates from 0.77 to
3.87 USD per kilo, with Docifish Corp at the top end of the scale.
Vietnam’s Directorate of Fisheries has voice its strong opposition to the DoC’s decision.
The directorate’s Deputy Director General Pham Anh Tuan said the
decision is totally unfair, since Vietnam and Indonesia do not
share the same socio-economic conditions. According to Tuan, the
Directorate is now working with Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters
and Processors (VASEP) and lawyers to consider the possibility of bring
the decision to the US federal court on trade before the decision
come into force.
Experts advised Vietnamese fish farmers and
exporters to stay calm, saying that excessive worry or giving up is not a
solution, since this is not the final decision.
Last year,
Vietnam earned 358 million USD from frozen tra fish fillet exports to
the US , its second largest market. The US emerged as the biggest
importer of Vietnamese seafood in January this year.-VNA