A Brazilian steel executive told analysts the country should apply anti-dumping (AD) duties over the imports of Chinese and South Korean HRC this year.
“We’re expecting a technical report by the commerce department of Brazil’s Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC),” Sergio Leite, CEO at Brazil flats steelmaker Usiminas told analysts during a conference call last week.
“This topic will be analyzed by Brazil’s chamber of foreign trade, Camex, in September, and we expect Brazil to apply AD duties this year,” the executive said, adding the measure would have a positive impact on the local steel sector, as well as on the local flats steel market.
Leite echoed recent comments by local steel association IABr, which said Brazil should apply AD duties over Chinese and Russian imports of HRC. IABr didn’t mention South Korea, but said Russia would be included in the AD duties.
Earlier this year, Brazil sent two foreign trade analysts to the Chinese cities of Maanshan, Chengde, Tangshan and Benxi to investigate potential dumping practices in the exports of finished flat steel from China to Brazil.
The foreign trade analysts were sent to make “in loco” visits to Maanshan Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., Hesteel Company Limited, Bengang Steel Plates Co. Ltd. and Benxi Iron and Steel International Economic and Trading Co. Ltd. The products analyzed included finished flat steel, both alloyed or nonalloyed, hot rolled, in plates, not rolled or in coils.
Similarly, a trade commerce analyst was also sent to Cherepovets, Russia, and Lugano, Switzerland, to investigate exports of HRC from those two countries.