Unfair treatment of Vietnamese frozen shrimp.

Prior to the final decision by the US Department of Commerce (DOC) on August 12th, imposing countervailing duties on Vietnamese shrimp producers and exporters ranging from 1.15% to 7.88%, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (Vasep) voiced its opposition.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has decided to impose countervailing duties (CVD) on Vietnamese shrimp producers and exporters. Specifically, the CVD rate for the two mandatory respondents, Minh Qui Seafood Company, is 7.88%, and for Nha Trang Seafood Company, it is 1.15%. In addition, the DOC also applies a nationwide CVD rate of 4.52% to all other companies.

In a press release issued on August 14, 2014, Vasep stated that the decision to impose CVD tax was an unfair imposition on Vietnamese shrimp processing and exporting businesses, especially since these businesses operate under a market mechanism, do not receive state subsidies for their production and business activities, and have not received any specific subsidies for the shrimp industry for many years.

This decision, along with the imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp imported into the United States, is unfair, imposing two taxes on the same product and directly impacting the livelihoods of over 600,000 shrimp farmers, processors, and exporters in Vietnam.

Vasep affirms: Not just Vietnam's shrimp industryMaleOther countries subject to this CVD tax will be severely affected, and US consumers will also be directly impacted. They will have to pay higher prices for imported shrimp products that they are accustomed to consuming. Imported shrimp accounts for over 90% of the total shrimp supply to the US market. Even more concerning, in 2012, the US domestic shrimp industry experienced significant growth in both volume and price, indicating that imported shrimp are unlikely to harm or threaten the domestic shrimp industry in the US.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP) opposes the US Department of Commerce's decision on CVD (Container Vehicle Discharge) tariffs for Vietnamese shrimp exporters. VASEP requests the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to conduct a fair review and make a correct and reasonable decision to completely end this unreasonable lawsuit.

Reportedly, in the first six months of this year, Vietnam's shrimp exports...MaleExports reached over $1.1 billion, an increase of 8.6% compared to the same period last year. According to VASEP data, in the first half of July 2013, shrimp exports continued to grow strongly, with a 86.9% increase in the US market alone compared to the first half of July 2012.

Theobaocongthuong.PH