Bangladesh has requested India not to extend the tenure of anti-dumping duty on imports of jute and jute goods from Bangladesh which will end on December 31, 2022.

Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Mujnshi made the request during his India visit on Thursday and Friday. High officials of the commerce ministry said that Tipu Munshi discussed the anti-dumping duty issue during a meeting with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal.

The Indian authorities assured that they would look into the issue, ministry officials said. According to the members of Bangladeshi delegation led by the commerce minister, the issues of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, removal of non-tariff barriers and import of essential commodities including rice and wheat were discussed with Indian authorities during the visit.

On January 5, 2017, India imposed anti-dumping duty ranging from $19 to $351.72 a tonne on imports of jute and jute goods from Bangladesh for five years which will end in December 2022. Directorate general of trade remedies under the Indian commerce ministry on October 10, 2022 recommended that the Indian finance ministry should continue the antidumping duty on the jute goods from Bangladesh and Nepal at the existing rate for five more years from the date of the notification to be issued by the central government.

‘We have discussed the issue with Indian commerce ministry and finance ministry and requested them not to continue anti-dumping measures on exports of jute goods from Bangladesh for five more years,’ commerce ministry additional secretary Md Hafizur Rahman told.

He said that the Indian authorities assured that they would look into the duty issue.

One of the ministry officials said that some of the alternative proposals regarding antidumping duty were discussed.

As a primary discussion, the Indian side said that an alternative could be that the quantity which was exported before the anti-dumping duty was imposed would get dutyfree facility, delegation members said.

And duty would be applicable to the quantity which would be excess of the amount imported before anti-dumping duty was imposed, the ministry officials said.

If the alternative proposal is accepted, approximately two lakh tonnes of Bangladeshi jute goods may get duty-free market access in India, ministry people said.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau data, Bangladesh’s Jute goods exports to India in July-November of the financial year 2022-23 fell to 31.84 million from 33.63 million in the same period of FY22.

Source: India Shipping News