March 12, 2007

Second US shrimp organisation seeks review on duties of Indian shrimps
 

A second organisation in the US, the Louisiana Shrimp Association, has sought a review of the anti-dumping duties on Indian firms exporting to the US, joining the SSA in seeking higher duties for the damages inflicted on the US shrimp industry.

While the Southern Shrimp Alliance, the original petitioners, has requested for review of over 250 exporters, Louisiana Shrimp Association has cast a wider net, seeking review of over 300 companies.

However, of the more than 200 companies exporting to the US two years ago, only 44 have voluntarily filed for review. Most of them have left the US market to court markets elsewhere, like the EU.

Indian analysts say the SSA had aimed to have a large number of companies under review mainly to create a panic in the industry.

Industry commentators and Indian companies said it was a deliberate SSA effort to make Indian companies opt for an out-of-court settlement. However, now that LSA had joined the fray, it appeared that Indian companies may sought for the review instead as it begins to see that it could not possibly pay off all the US organisations seeking damages.