Chile’s price distortion commission, CNDP, has ended an AD investigation over the imports of wire, mesh and steel nails and decided to not recommend definite AD duties over these products, according to a CNDP’s resolution made available last weekend at the nation’s official gazette, Diario Oficial.
CNDP’s recommendation or non-recommendation is an important step for an AD probe or duty to be implemented or rejected by the government of Chile, and as such it is likely to not be applied, upsetting local producers CAP Acero and Inchalam from the Bekaert group.
According to CNDP’s resolution, available information does not allow it to determine that wire, mesh and steel nail imports “cause or seem to cause serious harm” to the respective producing sectors of the local industry.
CNDP’s recommendation follows a recent decision of the Chilean government to apply a 38.9 percent ad valorem tariff over the imports of wire rod.
Inchalam asked CNDP to extend the duties to other steel products. The request of local producers was to apply a 15.6 percent tariff over the imports of meshes, a 23.8 percent levy on wire imports and a 24.7 percent duty over the external purchases of steel nails.
In May this year, Chile’s metal-mechanic association, Asimet, argued duties over other steel goods, including those Inchalam claimed for, were “needed”.
“We don’t agree with the comission’s [decision],” said Freddy Zambrano, a spokesperson for a Inchalam’s affiliated union. “Unfortunately, we can do nothing. We used all tools we had at hand and besides that, we can do nothing,” he said.