Eight tra (pangasius) fish exporters from Vietnam have been exempted from U.S. anti-dumping tax, according to the latest review by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). 

The DOC on Tuesday released the preliminary results of an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on frozen tra fish fillets from Vietnam for the period of review 20 (POR 20) from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023, the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade and Industry reported. 

The POR 20 covered eight Vietnamese tra fish exporters, including Bien Dong Seafood Co., Ltd., Vinh Hoan Corporation, Can Tho Import Export Seafood Joint Stock Company, Dai Thanh Seafoods Co., Ltd., Dong A Seafood One Member Co., Ltd., HungCa 6 Corporation, Nam Viet Corporation, and NTSF Seafoods Joint Stock Company.    

Of these exporters, the DOC selected Bien Dong and Vinh Hoan for individual examination as mandatory respondents.

According to the preliminary conclusion, the two mandatory respondents receive an anti-dumping duty rate of US$0.00 per kilogram, while the remaining six companies qualify for separate duty rates, set also at $0.00 per kilogram. 

Meanwhile, the nationwide tax rate was kept unchanged at $2.39 per kilogram, since the petitioners had withdrawn their request to review this rate.

It is expected that the DOC will issue its final conclusion for this review within 120 days from the date of the preliminary conclusion, the ministry said. 

The preliminary results are better than those for the previous review period (POR19), from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022, in which only one – Vinh Hoan – of the six local exporters involved was freed from anti-dumping tax, while the five others were subject to anti-dumping tax rate at $0.18 per kilogram, 

As the U.S. has yet to recognize Vietnam as a market economy country, the DOC continued to use alternate values from third countries to calculate Vietnam's dumping margins, according to the ministry.

In the latest review, the DOC selected Indonesia as the alternate country as the agency reasons that the economic development levels of Indonesia and Vietnam are comparable.

In addition, Indonesia has major tra fish producers similar to those of Vietnam during the review period, and alternate data is reliable for evaluation, the agency said. 

The DOC has also notified that relevant parties may submit requests for the POR 21 for the August 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024 period, and that the agency will consider launching the next administrative review in October.

So far, a number of Vietnamese exporters and U.S. petitioners have already sent their request for the POR 21, according to the DOC.

Currently, the U.S. remains the largest import market for tra fish from Vietnam, with American importers spending more than $35 million on the Vietnamese fish in August this year, up 40 percent year on year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).  

Over the past eight months, the total turnover from tra fish exports to the U.S. reached $226 million, a 23 percent increase from a year earlier.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!