Global support for India in shrimp duty case

The country's shrimp exporters see a major breakthrough in the US anti-dumping duty case, with a host of countries, including Brazil, China, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, strongly supporting India at the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) panel hearing.

According to experts in international trade, the global support may positively influence the final decision of the WTO panel "" expected by October 2007 "" in the country's favour. The panel has fixed the final hearing on the cases of India and Thailand on July 24.

Many of the countries supporting India have also been the victims of the US anti-dumping duty and they see that a decision favouring India will have a positive impact on their marine exports too.

In August 2004, the US imposed exorbitant duties on warm water shrimp exports from India, Thailand, China, Brazil, Vietnam and Ecuador. Recently, the US Department of Commerce (DoC) dropped the duty on Ecuador on instructions from the WTO.

Exports of marine products from these countries have been seriously hit by the anti-dumping duty and the customs bond. The countries have been waiting for a favourable decision to rejuvenate their exports.

India has argued that the directive on the customs bond was inconsistent with various articles of the GATT of 1994, agreements on anti-dumping and subsidies and the Marrakesh Agreement that led to the establishment of the WTO.