DOC wants to impose a high anti-dumping duty on Vietnamese frozen shrimp.— Photo vasef.com.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) —The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced that it will impose an anti-dumping duty on frozen shrimp imported from Viet Nam.

The preliminary decision, which was taken after the 8th administrative review (POR8) conducted between February 2012 and January 2013, showed that Vietnamese shrimp exporters had dumped their produce in the US market and DOC has decided to impose a high anti-dumping duty on them.

Minh Phu Corporation will be levied a duty of 4.98 per cent, Soc Trang–Stapimex Seafood Joint Stock Company will be imposed a 9.75 per cent duty, and other companies with 6.37 per cent duty.

Earlier, in the POR7, DOC admitted that all the 33 Vietnamese shrimp exporters were free from dumping in the US market, and they enjoyed a duty of zero per cent.

In the previous six PORs, the duties were imposed at 4.57 per cent and below.

As planned, the POR8's final decision will be taken after 120 days since the preliminary one was issued. The final decision could be challenged at the US International Commerce Arbitration Court.

General Director of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers Truong Dinh Hoe informed the Cong Thuong newspaper that the price of domestic shrimp for export was seeing a downward trend in the last two weeks. The shrimp exporters are concerned about the DOC's preliminary decision to impose high duty on their frozen shrimp products.

The association reported that during January and the initial ten days of February this year, the country earned US$318 million from the export of shrimp, of which the revenue from export to the US reached US$101 million. — VNS