Exporters shrug off dumping levy
Despite facing anti-dumping charges in the European Union, Thai exporters of plastic bags feel confident they can still compete against major rival China as its products are subject to a higher levy in that key market.
After meeting with manufacturers yesterday, Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, deputy director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said the Commerce Ministry would meet with EU representative to revise its policy. Recently, the EU said it would slap anti-dumping duties of 5.1 per cent to 14.3 per cent on plastic bags from five Thai companies. The measure, which took effect early this month, is aimed at protecting EU manufacturers from a flood of cheap Asian plastic bags. Chinese bags in the EU are levied an anti-dumping duty of 28.8 per cent. The five local companies and the anti-dumping rates against them are King Pac Industrial at 14.3 per cent, Multibax at 5.1 per cent, Narai Pak at 10.4 per cent, Sahachit Watana Plastic Industry at 6.8 per cent, and Thai Plastic Bags Industries at 5.8 per cent. The EU launched an investigation in June last year after European manufacturers complained that plastic bags imported from Malaysia, China and Thailand had adversely affected the European industry. Malaysia was spared punitive action. The EU found that plastic-bag imports had jumped from 219,000 tonnes in 2001 to 307,000 last year. According to the Commerce Ministry, the Kingdom's exports of plastic bags to all markets grew by 11.78 per cent year on year to US$352 million (Bt13.2 billion) in the first eight months of this year. Petchanet Pratruangkrai The Nation
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