The US Department of Commerce (DOC) reduced anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese tra and basa (pangasius) fish under its preliminary conclusion of the 14th period of review (POR14) for the period from August 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017.

Tra fish farming in Hau Giang province

Accordingly, the preliminary anti-dumping taxes on products of two mandatory respondents are 0 USD per kilogramme, and 1.37 USD per kilogramme. The tariff for voluntary respondents is 0.41 USD per kilogramme, while the tax imposed on other Vietnamese exporters not examined as mandatory or voluntary respondents will be 2.39 USD per kilogramme, lower than the final results of POR13.

Although the DOC is scheduled to announce the final results of POR14 in January 2019, its move to lower the anti-dumping tariffs is seen as a positive signal for Vietnamese catfish exporters.

Earlier, in its final results of the 13th period of review (POR13), Go Dang Seafood Joint Stock Company (GODACO) - the only mandatory respondent - was taxed 3.87 USD per kilogramme, and other firms were levied at the same rate. This was the highest-ever level, which rose six times as compared to the results of POR12.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), necessary legal proceedings were carried out to ask the DOC to meticulously review data provided by the Vietnamese firms and give a more rational anti-dumping taxes.

The high, irrational taxes in POR13 left little room for Vietnamese catfish to enter the US market, VASEP said.

Besides high anti-dumping duties, catfish exports have been impacted by the US inspection programme from August.

VASEP said that tra fish exports to the US market hit 196.8 million USD in the first six months of the year, accounting for 19.6 percent of total tra fish shipments, and up 11.6 percent from the same period in 2017. A decline in the world supply was attributed to the increase of export revenue as it made the prices of tra fish increase during January-June.

US lowers anti-dumping tariff on Vietnam’s shrimp exports

The US Department of Commerce (DoC) has announced the final results of the 12th Period of Review (POR 12), lowering the anti-dumping tariff on shrimp imports from Vietnam.

The POR 12 took place from February 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017.

Specifically, shrimp exported by Sao Ta Foods JSC (FIMEX VN), the only mandatory respondent in the review, and over 30 other local shrimp exporters are subject to an antidumping duty of 4.58 percent.

This final rate is far lower than the preliminary rate of 25.39 percent, first announced by the DoC on March 8. It is also slightly lower than the duty was in the prior period.

Ho Quoc Luc, Chairman of the Directorate Board of Fimex, said Fimex cooperated fully with the DoC during its inspection and delegation period.

In 2017, the export value of Vietnamese shrimp to the US fell 7 percent from the previous year because of the hefty anti-dumping duty. Meanwhile, the export value to other markets rose sharply, hitting 659 million USD, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

As a result, the US lost its spot as the fourth largest importer of Vietnam’s shrimp. The export decrease continued in the first eight months of 2018, falling 10.5 percent to about 372 million USD.

With the new lower rate, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the US are expected to recover in the coming months. Despite the expected rebound, the final number is expected to be 6.5 percent lower than it was in 2017. 

VNA