VietNamNet Bridge – Truong Dinh Hoe, Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said that the final decision by the US Department of Commerce (DOC) on exempting only four Vietnamese frozen warm-water shrimp export and processing companies from anti-dumping tariffs would make Vietnamese shrimp less competitive in the world’s market.

Under the DOC’s final decision, only four Vietnamese companies will be exempted from the anti-dumping tax, while 23 companies will bear the tax rate of 4.57% and two other companies will be imposed 25.76%.

The tax rates, according to Hoe, have surprised and discouraged enterprises.

Prior to that, the preliminary decision by DOC said that the tax rate on 28 Vietnamese companies would be lowered to 0%. Except the said 28 enterprises, other Vietnamese shrimp exporters would bear the common anti-dumping tax rate of 25.76% when exporting products to the US.

Hoe affirmed that the enterprises will continue ‘fighting’ in the next administrative reviews; however, he admitted that there is little possibility these enterprises will get the 0% rate.

The final decision by DOC will burden Vietnamese shrimp companies in their competition with big rivals like Thailand and India. The enterprises of the two countries were also defendants in US dumping lawsuits, and were initially imposed higher tax rates than the ones imposed on Vietnamese companies. However, the companies of the two countries later gained lower tax rates than Vietnam.

After the second administrative review, the anti-dumping tax rate on Indian companies was lowered to 1.69%. Meanwhile, DOC also announced the final anti-dumping tax rate of 3.18% on Thai companies, a sharp decrease from the previously applied level of 6.09%.

Though expecting difficulties, VASEP said that the final decision by DOC will not keep US importers away from Vietnamese products. Shrimp exports are expected to reach $1.5bil in turnover, equivalent to last year’s exports.

Currently, the biggest challenge of Vietnamese shrimp is the competition with regional countries in farming white shrimp, which has become a favourite in the world. Thailand and China both have good experience in farming this kind of shrimp, while Vietnam is just beginning.