NEW DELHI: India has imposed anti-dumping duty of up to $323.5 a tonne of polypropylene, for making woven sacks used for carrying cement, foodgrains, sugar and fertiliser, from Oman, Singapore and Saudi Arabia to protect the domestic industry from cheap imports.

The restrictive duty, which would range from $28.49 a tonne to $323.5 a tonne, was imposed on the recommendation of the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), a notification by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said.

The DGAD, under the commerce ministry, had found that due to imports of the product from the three nations, the domestic industry suffered "material injury," it said.

The CBEC in the Department of Revenue has imposed the duty for a period of five years. While the Commerce Ministry recommends the duty, the Finance Ministry imposes it.

Purpose of anti-dumping duty, a WTO compatible tool, is to counteract trade distortions due to cheap imports and the consequential injury to the domestic industry.

The principle of anti-dumping duty is to prevent dumping and to ensure fair trading practice and to create a level playing field for the domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters resorting to dumping.

Source: Business Line