ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: The eight bedlinen exporters would submit their comments on the revised disclosure of the interim review to European Commission (EC) latest by January 9, 2006.

Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan told Dawn on Monday that the government was trying through diplomatic channels to convince the EC authorities for complete suspension of the duty.

Mr Khan said that it was expected that the EU member states would vote on the suspension of the anti-dumping duty on Pakistan’s bedlinen in January 2006.

The revised national average dumping duty of 7.6 per cent on import of bedlinen would be effective from March 1, 2006. He said the average anti-dumping duty facility would be available to those exporters who cooperated with the EU technical team and filled the questionnaire.

While in case of others, who did not cooperate or filled the questionnaire as well as new exporters would be subjected to the dumping duty of 12.7 per cent as against the previous 17.1 per cent duty along with MFN duty.

Elaborating further, the minister said the revised average anti-dumping duty means that any exporter other than the listed eight companies (exporters) will have to pay 7.6 per cent duty as anti-dumping besides MFN duty on export of bedlinen to EU member countries.

Under the EU normal generalized system of preferences (GSP) scheme to be effective from January 1, 2006 the MFN duty for Pakistan would be reduced to 9.6 per cent from the current 12 per cent.

Currently, Pakistani exporters cleared export of bedlinen to EU member countries at a customs duty of 25.1 per cent (13.1 per cent anti-dumping duty + 12 per cent normal duty). This duty will be applicable till February 28, 2006.

From March 1, 2006 an average duty on export of bedlinen to EU member countries would be 17.2 per cent excluding the eight sampling exporters, who were subjected to individual dumping duty.

After the devastation caused by the October 8 quake, the president and the prime minister again requested the EU member states to suspend the dumping duty. The commerce minister held several meetings with his EC counterparts on this issue.

Secretary Commerce also had technical meetings with his EC counterparts to prove that Pakistani exporters were not dumping bed sheets and in any case, due to the dislocation of substantial number of workers from this industry, bedlinen from Pakistan would not be a source of injury to EU industry.

The exports of bedlinen fell by $30 million during January-June 2005. If the dumping duty was not withdrawn then the decrease would be manifold, the sources added.