New Delhi, Mar 30 The stainless steel importers have opposed any fresh move by the government to curb imports of the alloy, saying it would hit the user industry that needs to ship value added steel to produce export-oriented products.
In a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the importers sought free imports of high grade stainless steel on the pretext that they are not available locally.
Owing allegiance to the Process Plant and Machinery Association of India (PPMAI), the importers also demanded the ongoing anti-dumping probe into stainless steel items be stopped and a price regulator be put in place to ensure proper pricing of the commodity.
"It is extremely unfair to take away the right to choose our vendor. We had shared our alarm with the Steel Ministry for scuttling any attempts on the imposition of import barrier barriers being pursued by the Commerce Ministry," PPMAI secretary V P Ramchandran said.
Putting roadblocks to imports of value-added products will create monopoly of low quality items in the domestic market and deprive the export-oriented units of a competitive edge, he added.
Source : www.indopia.in