The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to impose duties on frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia after determining the U.S. industry is being negatively impacted by imports of the products.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) started its investigation on whether to impose antidumping or countervailing duties against shrimp from the four countries in November 2023 after the America Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) filed trade petitions the month before. In March 2024 the DOC issued its preliminary determinations for countervailing duties, which had Ecuador facing a 7.55 percent duty and Ecuador-based Santa Priscilla facing a 13.41 percent countervailing duty; Devi Sea Foods in India facing a 4.72 percent countervailing duty, and most shrimp exporters in Vietnam facing a 2.84 percent countervailing duty.
The DOC then later levied antidumping duties against Ecuador and companies in Indonesia, with a preliminary determination that Ecuador would face a 10.58 percent dumping margin and Indonesia would face a 6.3 percent dumping margin. It did not add any additional antidumping duties to Vietnam or India, but both countries have been subject to investigations and antidumping duties since 2005.
Both the countervailing and antidumping duties would eventually be revised by the DOC, and issued final determinations in October 2024 that would see all four countries pay either an antidumping or countervailing duty which on the low end hit Vietnam with a 2.84 percent countervailing duty and on the high end hit Thong Thuan Company Limited with a 221.82 percent dumping duty rate which DOC said was “based on adverse inferences.”
Those duties then went before the ITC, which ultimately voted to impose duties on shrimp from the four countries.
“As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, Commerce will issue countervailing duty orders on imports of this product from Ecuador, India, and Vietnam and an antidumping duty order on imports of this product from Indonesia,” the ITC said.
ASPA celebrated the outcome as a win for U.S. shrimp producers.
“We are thrilled with the outcome of today’s vote,” ASPA President Trey Pearson said. “Today’s vote ...
