Solar industry to file new petition for anti-dumping duty

The Indian Solar Manufacturers’ Association said it had withdrawn a petition for anti-dumping duty on solar cells and modules. It will soon file a fresh and update petition.

“Import trends since then (filing of the petition) have made the period of investigation irrelevant. Despite ongoing investigation, exports of cells and modules from China, Taiwan and Malaysia increased by 33 to 45 per cent during July to December 2017,” said the industry body.

This massive increase in volumes, it said, was enabled by significant price reduction, of about 25 per cent. “This has resulted in enhanced injury to the domestic industry, which would not have been fairly addressed by the outcome of an investigation covering the period up to June 2017.”

“The objective is only to get a fair and just redressal of our grievance,” it said.

The earlier petition had said around 80 per cent of the solar cell and module market had been cornered by import. The petition for investigation till June 2017 was its third such attempt at protection for domestic manufacturers. The first such case was filed in 2012 against producers from the US, European Union, China, Malaysia and Taiwan. The case saw solar cell makers, the allied electronics industry and even glass makers asking for protection against import of solar panels. The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping (DGAD) finalised recommendations on the duties on solar cells imported from these countries. The finance ministry did not impose it. In 2014, the makers filed another complaint, which they were later requested to withdraw.

The earlier petition had said around 80 per cent of the solar cell and module market had been cornered by imports