National Tariff Commission has declared that it will review anti-dumping duty (AD) on importing continuous casting billets from China. Three steel firms, i.e., Mughal Iron & Steel Industries Ltd, Amreli Steel Ltd, and Agha Steel Industries Ltd, had forwarded an application to review the AD. The review will cover the three years from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. The products for review are defined in 13 categories, i.e., 7207.1110, 7207.1190, 7207.1210, 7207.1290, 7207.1910, 7207.1920, 7207.1990, 7207.2010, 7207.2020, 7207.2090, 7207.1000, and 7224.9000.
In 2015 a complaint was launched by the three steel producers/firms, i.e., Abbas Steel Group Metal Ltd, Agha Steel Industries Ltd, and Amreli Steel Limited, against the dumping of the Chinese billets. The government of Pakistan had imposed a 24.07% anti-dumping duty on imports of Chinese billets. National Tariff Commission said it was to protect the domestic industry from the effects of damped price & volume of Chinese continuous casting steel billets for five years from June 22, 2017, to June 22, 2022.
Mughal Steel which melts billets faces more problems due to the higher energy cost in Pakistan. Anti-Dumping duty on Chinese steel billets will lower the competition and keep the domestic market balanced. The domestic steel industry is facing a higher cost of transportation and energy.
Steel billets coming in from china will only increase the problem of our economic imbalance. The imposition of anti-dumping duty is necessary for the growth of the domestic steel industry.
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