ISLAMABAD, July 18: The National Tariff Commission (NTC) on Monday imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on three specific Chinese exporters who dumped Urea Formaldehyde Moulding Compound (UFMC) in Pakistani market. The NTC after the establishment of provisional dumping margin levied anti-dumping duty at the rate of 12.15 per cent on dumped imports of UFMC by Bluestar International Chemical Co. Ltd., Beijing, China (Bluestar); 4.31 per cent on Sinochem Tianjin Import and Export Corporation, Tianjin, China (Sinochem) and 14.89 per cent on Yixing Yuntong Chemical Industry Inc, Jiangsu, China (Yixing).
While for all other Chinese exporters of UFMC to Pakistan, the anti-dumping rate would be 9.77 per cent. The provisional anti-dumping duties would remain for a period of four months.
An official announcement said that the NTC initiated an investigation on January 12, 2005 into dumping of UFMC, used chiefly in the manufacture of tableware, kitchenware and electrical switches. This investigation has been initiated in response to an application filed with the NTC by a domestic producer of UFMC i.e. M/s Dynea Pakistan Limited Karachi, under the Pakistan Anti-Dumping Duties Ordinance, 2000.
The applicant identified 31 exporters/producers from China involved in dumping of UFMC in Pakistan market. Due to this large number of exporters/producers the NTC resorted to sampling, in accordance with Section 14(2) of the Ordinance, by way of which the NTC selected three exporters/producers to be investigated in this case.
As required by the law, the NTC, after the initiation of investigation, sent questionnaires to the Chinese exporters/producers and Pakistani importers of the investigated product, seeking information within the statutory time period of 37 days.
The officers of the NTC subsequently carried out on-the-spot investigations at the premises of the domestic industry at Karachi and Gadoon Amazai, Swabi, and the premises of Chinese exporters/producers in order to verify the information provided.
After examination and analyses of the information received from all interested parties to the investigation, the NTC made a preliminary determination that UFMC was being exported to Pakistan at dumped price.
The NTC affords an opportunity to interested parties to present their views in a hearing, should any of the interested parties seek to do so. Interested parties can also submit briefs containing their views on a particular issue or issues to the NTC up to 30 days before the date of final determination.
The Ordinance lays down that the NTC shall make the final determination no later than 6 months from the date of publication of notice of preliminary determination.
The total imports of UFMC into Pakistan in the previous three years showed that around 94 per cent of total import of UFMC was from China, while the remaining 6 per cent was from other countries.