September 22, 2008

The US has delayed announcing the results of its third administrative review on Vietnamese shrimp exported to the US until March 2, 2009 instead of October 31 this year as originally scheduled, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP).
 

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced the delay in the Federal Register newspaper. The review was conducted on Vietnamese shrimp shipped to the US between February 1, 2007 and January 31, 2008.

The DOC said completing the review as originally schedule is unfeasible due to the complexity of the process. The final decision will be made within 120 days of the announcement of the preliminary results.

The DOC announced the second administrative review on Vietnamese frozen shrimp for the period from February 2006 to January 2007. While four companies were exempted from US anti-dumping duties, 23 companies would have to bear a tax rate of 4.57 percent, one will be subject to 4.3 percent and the remaining two companies at 25.76 percent.

VASEP General Secretary Truong Dinh Hoe said the second administrative result was a surprise as it was far below expectations and led to Vietnamese shrimp being less competitive.

However, VASEP said it will not stop US importers from buying Vietnamese products.

Vietnam's total shrimp export turnover to the US is expected to reach US$850 million by year-end.