TCUD: US mills’ claims against Turkish rebar not based on facts

Regarding the antidumping (AD) duty investigation request filed by US rebar producers against rebar imports from Turkey and Mexico, Dr. Veysel Yayan, general secretary of the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TCUD), has told SteelOrbis that the allegations made in the complaint are not based on solid findings.
 
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the dumping margins alleged by the US mills for Turkish and Mexican producers range between 42.09 percent and 66.76 percent. The US-based producers also suggest that the Turkish and Mexican producers increased their market share in the US to 17 percent from seven percent between 2010 and the first half of 2013.
 
The US producers have also requested a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation for Turkish rebar imports, claiming that the Turkish producers benefit from subsidies. In response, TCUD general secretary Veysel Yayan said that there has been no question of government subsidies for the Turkish steel industry since 2001 according to the binding agreement between Turkey and the EU, adding that the Turkish producers, on the contrary, are under pressure from hefty taxes and expensive energy costs. Dr. Yayan underlined that the advantage provided by loans from the Turkish state-owned Eximbank are negligible compared to the 1980s when inflation and interest rates were high.
 
"We believe that the US International Trade Commission will conduct a fair investigation," said Yayan, adding that the US rebar producers' aim is to raise the anxiety levels of Turkish rebar producers and exporters.