India recommended to extend 2017 ESBR antidumping duties

DELHI, India—The Indian government has been recommended to extend antidumping duties against emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR) imported from Europe, South Korea and Thailand for another three years.

The duties were initially imposed in 2017 and covered on ESBR 1500 and ESBR 1700 series, according to India's Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).

In a sunset review report, published July 29, the authority said it believed that there was continued dumping of the subject goods from South Korea and the European Union, "despite duties being in force."

"The volume of dumped imports has increased in absolute terms despite imposition of duties," said DGTR in its reports.

According to the Indian agency, the imports "are undercutting the price of the domestic industry" in the period of investigation, and the price effects would have been higher in the absence of existing duties.

In addition, the authority noted that production, capacity utilization and sales within the domestic industry did increase during the period under investigation.

According to DGTR, Kumho Petrochemical Co. Ltd., producers in the European Union and Thai manufacturers have been respectively using 70-80 percent, 30-40 percent and 70-80 percent of their production for exports "at dumped price" to third countries.

The rate of dumping, it went on to say, are 60-70 percent, 50-60 percent and 50-60 percent, respectively.

As a result, DGTR suggested antidumping rates of $266/metric ton for European companies, $243.60/ton for Thai suppliers and $64.00/ton for Korean manufacturers, bar Kumho Petrochemical, which will have a rate of $33.95/ton.