THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will impose a provisional anti-dumping duty for four months on gypsum board imported from Thailand.
“The DTI hereby imposes a provisional anti-dumping duty in the form of a cash bond on imports of gypsum board from Thailand for a period of four months,” according to the preliminary investigation report.
The anti-dumping duty, which will range from 4.65% to 34.72% of the export price, will be imposed when the Bureau of Customs issues the corresponding Customs Memorandum Order.
The duties were based on the computed dumping margins, which ranged from $0.01 to $0.06 per kilogram.
Bureau of Import Services Director Maria Guiza B. Lim said: “The Tariff Commission will conduct the formal investigation to determine whether or not to impose a definitive anti-dumping duty.”
“The provisional duty, which is four months under the law, is imposed while the Tariff Commission is conducting its formal investigation,” she added via Viber.
In a department administrative order dated Nov. 5, the DTI said Knauf Gypsum Philippines, Inc. filed a petition for an anti-dumping duty on gypsum board from Thailand last year.
“The petition alleged that imports of gypsum board originating from Thailand are being dumped and, by reason thereof, are causing material injury to the domestic gypsum board industry,” according to the order.
As a result of this, the DTI initiated a preliminary anti-dumping investigation covering periods of January 2022 to May 2023 for dumping and 2019 to September 2023 for injury.
According to the preliminary report, Knauf, the only manufacturer of gypsum board in the country, protested the sale of gypsum board under AHTN Codes 6809.11.00 and 6809.19.90 in the Philippine market, which are used for internal walls and ceilings.
During the period of investigation, the report said that the volume of dumped imports from Thailand against the total Philippine imports was 81% in 2021, 55% in 2022, and 68% in the first five months of 2023.
The report said that although the share of imports from Thailand dropped to 24% in 2022, its share increased to 30% in the first three quarters of 2023.
“The domestic industry suffered material injury in terms of declining market share, domestic sales, and capacity utilization rate in the three quarters of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022,” according to the report.
“The industry has lost a substantial share of its market, with 30% captured by dumped imports from Thailand in the first three quarters of 2023. The continued price undercutting of the domestic industry has made domestic prices uncompetitive, severely impacting its overall operations,” it added.
The report concluded that imported gypsum board with thickness of 9 and 12 millimeters from Thailand are being dumped, triggering the need for provisional measures to protect the domestic industry. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
