U.S. to Keep Antidumping Duty on Vietnamese Catfish

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has decided to maintain imposition of antidumping duty on certain tra and basa catfish products imported from Vietnam, local media reported, citing the Vietnamese Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

 

In a decision released on Jan. 27, the DOC found that the revocation of the order would be likely to lead to prolonged or recurring incidents of dumping.

 

The decision was made on the basis that American catfish producers claim that tra and basa fish imported from Vietnam were being sold at less than the market rates.

 

In August 2003, the DOC issued an antidumping duty order against frozen tra and basa catfish fillets imported from Vietnam. The order is reviewed every five years.

 

In September 2007, the DOC set preliminary anti-dumping tariffs at 63.88 per cent for all lots of Vietnamese catfish shipped to the U.S.

 

The Seafood Association of Mekong Delta provinces said that 40 per cent of the region’s catfish breeding pools are now abandoned, with An Giang province alone accounting for 60 per cent of this total. It is estimated that 25 per cent of fish-breeding households in the region have gone bankrupt.

 

The region’s catfish production is expected to fall by up to 40 per cent during 2009, which will have a huge impact upon the nations’ catfish processing industry. (VNA, The Labor)