The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is holding its last public hearing this week before making its official decision on whether to levy countervailing duties against seven countries that export shrimp to America.
The ITC will hear from the public on 13 August in Washington. Among those expected to testify will be the Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries (COGSI). The group initially petitioned for the duties last year, arguing that seven nations — China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam — are unfairly stacking the deck against domestic shrimp producers. The governments of those countries, COGSI charges, are subsidizing their shrimp industries, which allows the exporters to undercut the local producers in the U.S.
COGSI and its supporters are hoping the ITC will level countervailing duties against imported shrimp from those countries. The ITC has already made a preliminary ruling on the matter, but is expected to make its final decision on 19 September.
