The U.S. Department of Commerce has extended the deadline for its third administrative review of Vietnamese pangasius to March 17. The agency failed to complete its review by the original Jan. 17 deadline.
The tariff for frozen pangasius fillets from Vietnam is set at 63.88 percent, though four companies were assessed tariffs individually, ranging from 0 to 80.88 percent. During an administrative review, tariffs can increase, decrease or remain the same.
The tariffs stem from an antidumping petition the Catfish Farmers of America filed in 2003. Last week, the Indianola, Miss., group requested that 27 companies be withdrawn from the review. Therefore, the firms' tariffs will remain the same for the fourth review, which runs from Aug. 1, 2006, to July 31, 2007.
Vietnamese pangasius, commonly referred to as basa or tra, will be up for its first sunset review, which occurs every five years, in 2008, when the DOC and International Trade Commission will reassess whether the tariffs are necessary.
