India Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty On Japanese, Chinese Gas .

India has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to USD 1.41 per kg on imports of a gas, used primarily for refrigeration purpose, to protect domestic players from cheap Chinese and Japanese shipments.

The restrictive duty on the import of '1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane or R-134a' would be imposed for a period of five years, the Department of Revenue said.

The duty would range from between USD 0.69 per kg and USD 1.41 per kg on imports of the gas from Japan and China, it said.

"The anti-dumping duty imposed shall be levied for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier)... and shall be payable in Indian currency," the department said.

R-134a is an inert gas used primarily as a "high temperature" refrigerant for domestic refrigeration and automobile air conditioners. Other uses include plastic foam blowing and as a cleaning material and for removing moisture from compressed air.

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), a nodal agency under the commerce ministry, had recommended the imposition of duty after an investigation.

The DGAD had concluded in its probe that the domestic industry had suffered a material injury on account of dumping of the product by the two countries.

The country has already imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of fabric, yarn, nylon tyre cord and several chemicals. Anti-dumping duty is recommended by the commerce ministry, while the finance ministry imposes the same.

Unlike safeguard duties, which are levied in a uniform way, anti-dumping duties vary from product to product and from country to country.

Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to check if domestic industry has been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports.

As a counter-measure, they impose duties under the multilateral WTO regime.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com