U.S. Department of Commerce Finds Dumping of Imports of Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts from Belgium, Colombia, and Thailand



(May 30, 2018) - - Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced the affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of imports of citric acid and certain citrate salts from Belgium, Colombia, and Thailand, and its negative final determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of citric acid and certain citrate salts from Thailand.

Commerce determined that exporters from Belgium, Colombia, and Thailand have sold citric acid and certain citrate salts in the United States at 19.30 percent, 28.48 percent, and 6.47 – 15.71 percent less than fair value, respectively. Commerce also determined that Thailand is providing countervailable subsidies to its producers of citric acid and certain citrate salts at rates ranging from 0 – 0.21 percent, which are de minimis, therefore this investigation will be terminated.

In 2017, imports of citric acid and certain citrate salts from Belgium, Colombia, and Thailand were valued at an estimated $9.4 million, $17.6 million, and $73.2 million, respectively.

The petitioners are Archer Daniels Midland Company (IL), Cargill, Incorporated (MN), and Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas LLC (IL).

Enforcement of U.S. trade law is a prime focus of the Trump Administration. Commerce has initiated 114 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations since the beginning of the Trump Administration. This is 78 percent more than the 64 initiations in the last 494 days of the previous administration.

AD and CVD laws provide U.S. businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of dumping unfairly priced and unfairly subsidized imports into the United States. The Commerce Department currently maintains 440 AD and CVD orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to make its final determinations on or about July 6, 2018. If the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue AD orders. If the ITC makes negative final determinations of injury, the investigations will be terminated and no orders will be issued.

Click here for a fact sheet on today’s decision(s).

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international law and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.

Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to AD duties. Foreign companies that receive financial assistance from foreign governments that benefits the production of goods from foreign companies and is limited to specific enterprises or industries, or is contingent either upon export performance or upon the use of domestic goods over imported goods, are subject to CVD duties.




Courtesy: U.S. Department of Commerce