Hanoi (VNA) – The US’srecent ruling to impose unprecedentedly high anti-dumping duties on tra fishfillets from Vietnam lacks a legal basis, said the Agro Processing and MarketDevelopment Authority (APMDA) under the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development (MARD).  

The agency made the statement followingthe US Department of Commerce (DOC)’s release of the final results of the 13th administrative review (POR13) of anti-dumping duties on frozenpangasius fillets from Vietnam for the period from August 1, 2015 to July 31,2016. Accordingly, Vietnam’s frozen Tra fish fillets will be subject toantidumping duties of 2.39 – 7.74 USD per kilogramme.

The decision is unfair and illogical toVietnamese businesses, and goes against normal legal regulations onanti-dumping, the agency said, adding that the levy of the unprecedented highrate reflects the DOC’s groundless, subjective imposition.

Therefore, the Department of TradeDefence under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has coordinated with relevantministries and agencies, especially the Vietnam Association of SeafoodExporters and Producers (VASEP) and the Vietnam Pangasius Association (VINAPA),and businesses specialising in tra fish export processing, to conduct necessarylegal procedures to bring the case to the US Court of International Trade (CIT)as soon as possible in order to protect the rights and interests of Vietnamesefirms.

Besides, the Vietnamese side has also heldmore bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss two-way trade betweenVietnam and the US and to show the efforts of the Vietnamese Government and thebusiness community in complying with regulations and principles relating to thecode of conduct in international trade to defend interests of the sidesconcerned in an harmonious manner.

The APMDA suggested domestic tra fish businesses proactivelyshift to other markets like China, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and ASEAN, andupgrade production conditions to improve the quality and safety of products,meeting regulations set by importers.

At the same time, they should cutproduct prices, diversify products, increase the content of value-addedproducts and create production chains so as to reduce unhealthy competitionthat affects the quality and price of Vietnamese tra fish in the global market,the agency said.

According to the agency, Vietnam’stra fish exports to the US slid from 22.3 percent in 2016 to 19 percent in2017. Impacts of the anti-dumping duty ruling and the catfish investigationprogramme of the US would worsen the situation.

In January 2018, Vietnam’s seafoodmade up only 6.8 percent in value and 6 percent in value of the US’s totalseafood imports, making Vietnam drop from the fourth place to the seventh inthe group of the US’s largest seafood suppliers.

The APMDA said that the US’s ruling wouldaffect the brand name, image and prestige of Vietnamese tra fish in theinternational market, as well as business and production strategies of localfirms.

Earlier, the VASEP and domestic trafish business also oppose the DOC’s unfair decision.-VNA