Steel exports face US, Brazil dumping investigations

Anti-dumping investigations against Indian steel exports are on the rise. Washington has recently initiated anti-dumping/countervailing inve...

Anti-dumping investigations against Indian steel exports are on the rise. Washington has recently initiated anti-dumping/countervailing investigations against imports of pre-stressed concrete steel wire from five Indian companies—Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd, Tata Stainless Steel Ltd, Indore Wire Company Ltd, Patil Group of Industries and Usha Martin Industries.

Brazil has also initiated similar probes into supplies of certain stainless steel bars by as many as 11 other Indian companies. New Delhi has already forwarded its submissions to the US commerce department in response to a questionnaire issued by it in the pre-stressed steel wire case, say commerce ministry officials.

In addition, Brazil has initiated anti-dumping probes into import of animal shoe nails from four Indian companies—Standard International Exports, Shelly International, Gyan Industries and AFILER, officials point out.

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They say the Brazilian steel industry had petitioned the government against imports of stainless steel bars from the 11 Indian companies in question. The probes are in the pre-initiation stage. New Delhi has already filed its response with Brazilian authorities.

Officials explain that proliferation of anti-dumping and countervailing duty actions by the US and Brazil as well as by the European Union and Canada have become a significant barrier to market access.

Even where the investigations had not led to the imposition of duties, the domestic trade would have been disrupted by the uncertainty caused by the initiation of investigations, officials point out.

In some of the products already subject to anti-dumping/countervailing duty investigations by the US and EU, India’s exports of steel items to these major markets have declined during the past few years.