*EPF313 06/18/2003
Commerce Finds Frozen Fish Imports from Vietnam Dumped in U.S.
(Dumping margins range from 36.84 to 63.88 percent) (400)

Washington -- Imports of frozen catfish filets from Vietnam were dumped on the U.S. market, the Commerce Department has ruled.

In a June 17 final affirmative determination the department calculated the dumping margins ranged form 36.84 to 63.88 percent.

Imposition of antidumping duties requires final affirmative determinations both from the Commerce Department that dumping occurred and from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) that the imports injured or threatened U.S. industry.

The USITC final determination is expected by August.

The department calculated the dumping margins for four companies that did not cooperate with the investigation as follows: Agifish, 44.76 percent; Cataco, 45.55 percent; Nam Viet, 52.90 percent; Vinh Hoan, 36.84 percent.

The department assigned a margin of 44.66 percent for six other companies that voluntarily responded to the investigation questionnaire. Imports from all other producers would be subject to a Vietnam-wide rate of 63.88 percent.

Dumping is the import of goods at a price below the home-market or a third-country price or below the cost of production. A dumping margin represents by how much the fair-value price exceeds the dumped price.

In 2002 when the investigation was initiated, the government of Vietnam was reported as rejecting claims that Vietnamese producers dumped the frozen fish in the U.S. market as "absolutely baseless." A Vietnam Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said they were an attempt to sabotage trade relations between the two countries.

A major agreement normalizing trade relations between the United States and Vietnam went into force in December 2001.

Commerce has also made a final ruling that "critical circumstances" exist in regard to imports from Nam Viet, QVD, Da Nang, Afiex, CAFATEX and Vinh Long and imports subject to the Vietnam-wide rate. If USITC make affirmative final rulings on critical circumstances, antidumping duties would be imposed on those imports retroactively 90 days to October.

Under U.S. antidumping law, critical circumstances exist when there is a massive surge in imports following -- or immediately preceding -- initiation of the antidumping investigation. The purpose of the provision is to prohibit importation of large quantities of merchandise before a determination can be made that the merchandise is being dumped.

In 2002 U.S. imports of frozen catfish from Vietnam amounted to $63 million.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Return to Public File Main Page

Return to Public Table of Contents