BENGALURU: The Directorate General of
Anti Dumping and Allied Duties (
DGAD) has officially terminated its investigation into charges of dumping of solar equipment in India by companies in China, Malaysia and Taiwan.
This is in response to the
Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA), a body of domestic solar manufacturers, withdrawing the petition it had submitted in mid-2017 seeking such a duty, claiming that imports were crippling their industry. Around 80-90% of the equipment used in Indian solar projects is imported, largely because imported panels and modules are available at prices 25-30% below locally made ones. ISMA¡¯s petition maintained they were artificially under-priced.
However, in early March, ISMA withdrew the petition maintaining that it would file a fresh one since the situation had worsened since and foreign companies had begun dumping even more aggressively than before. The revised petition is yet to be filed.
The DGAD, in its official order, has expressed annoyance with ISMA¡¯s decision. ¡°The Authority notes that the reason cited by the domestic industry for termination of the petition is devoid of any merit,¡± the order says. ¡°Every industry operates in dynamic market conditions and that injury position varies almost on day-to-day basis and so it is not something unique to this particular petitioner only. The Authority further notes that in every investigation the injury suffered, if any , by the domestic industry, is bound to undergo change during the course of the investigation.¡±
It has pointed out, however, that under prevailing rules, it does not have the discretion to continue a probe if the petitioner chooses to withdraw.
