Frozen shrimp is processed for export at the Thong Thuan Company in Ninh Thuan Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The Viet Nam Association Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has filed an appeal before a United States court against anti-dumping duties imposed on Vietnamese shrimp.

The Dan Viet (Vietnamese People) online newspaper quoted Truong Dinh Hoe, VASEP general secretary, as saying on Tuesday that the appeal was filed before the US International Commerce Arbitration Court, which earlier issued its final decision on anti-dumping duties imposed on 30 of 32 Vietnamese shrimp exporters to the US.

The court ruled that the US should retain anti-dumping duties on frozen shrimp imported from Viet Nam under the eighth administrative review (POR8) conducted between February 2012 and January 2013.

Under the ruling, Minh Phu Corporation will be paying a 4.98-per cent duty while Soc Trang – Stapimex Seafood Joint Stock Company will be paying a 9.75-per cent duty and other companies, a 6.37-per cent duty.

Hoe said the duties imposed under POR8 were too high, unreasonable and lacked sufficient basis because these were based on incomplete, inadequate and outdated figures.

"We have asked the US Department of Commerce to re-calculate the duties based on updated data because there is no reason for all exporters to have zero duties under the seventh administrative review (POR7) but high rates under POR8," Hoe said.

Meanwhile, the Viet Nam Plus online newspaper quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh as saying the US Department of Commerce's imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp exports was unfair and contradicted the principle of trade liberalisation, as well as existing economic and trade agreements between the two countries.

When asked about Viet Nam's response to the US decision, he replied that the move was a violation of the Viet Nam-US Comprehensive Partnership. "Vietnamese businesses do not dump shrimp products on the US market and do not damage or threaten to damage the US shrimp industry," the spokesman affirmed.

He suggested that trade between the two countries be reviewed in a fair and impartial manner to ensure the legitimate rights of Vietnamese shrimp farmers, processors and exporters, as well as US consumers, importers and distributors.

VASEP said the duties were unreasonable and harmful to US consumers, since these would lead to a reduction in the volume and an increase in the price of Vietnamese shrimp exports.

Chu Van An, deputy general director of Minh Phu Seafood Group, said the price of shrimp exports to the US increased by US$2.5 per kilo to $12 since June.

Nguyen Van Kich, general director of Cafatex Seafood Joint Stock Company, said seafood exporters were now promoting exports to other markets.

According to Viet Nam's general department of customs, from January 1, 2014 to August 15, 2014, the value of Vietnamese shrimp exports to the US reached $700 million, an 80-per cent year-on-year increase.

Vietnamese shrimp exports also surged by 115 per cent to $185 million for South Korea, by 100 per cent to $388 million for the European Union, and by five per cent for Japan, after months of reductions in shrimp export to the US. — VNS