Employers at a catfish processing plant in southern Vietnam.
Admitting errors in its calculations, the US Department of Commerce last week dropped to zero the antidumping duty rate for two Vietnam-based catfish producers and reaffirmed it was already at zero for a third.

In a final decision it had made earlier this year, the department had slapped a rate of 31.68 percent on Anvifish Co. Ltd.

But it scrapped this after Anvifish wrote in July, contending the calculation contained an error. The shipments pertained to 2006-07.

“After analyzing Anvifish’s comments, we have determined… that a ministerial error was made,” the department said on August 15.

In a separate announcement the same day in the Federal Register, the department also dropped to zero the duty rate for QVD Food Co. on certain shipments made in 2005-06.

The department had originally imposed a rate of 14.59 percent on QVD, but said it agreed with seven of eight claims of ministerial error the company claimed in calculating the rate.

The department had already cleared East Sea Seafoods Joint Venture Co. Ltd. of dumping but, due to another error in calculation, slapped antidumping duty in its final decision before reversing it now.

A rate of 80.88 percent has been reinstated for Can Tho Agricultural and Animal Products Import Export Co. (CATACO).

The department had originally slapped 80.88 percent on CATACO, but by mistake reduced it in its final decision to the Vietnam-wide rate of 63.88 percent.

The US has imposed antidumping duties on Vietnamese producers and exporters of tra and basa catfish since 2004, alleging they sold products at unfair prices in the U.S market.