DGTR initiates 34 anti-dumping, 6 safeguard investigations in 2019-20

Time taken to initiate Anti-Dumping investigation down to 33 Days

Outreach Programme Launched to sensitize stakeholders about trade remedies

Online portal launched for transparency, efficiency and relief to domestic producers

Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) initiated 34 anti-dumping (AD) investigations (both fresh and review), 4 countervailing duty investigations, and 6 safeguard investigations during the period from 01.04.2019 to 31.12.2019. Final Findings in 14 anti-dumping investigations, 4 countervailing duty investigations and Provisional Findings in 5 investigations were issued during this period.

Time taken in issue of final findings from the date of initiation, has come down to 234 days in 2019 - 2020 from 478 days in 2014-15.

Year	Average number of days taken to issue Finding (excluding NSR and CVD cases)
2012-13	410
2013-14	432
2014-15	478
2015-16	434
2016-17	395
2017-18	407
2018-19	281
2019-20* (upto 31.12.2019)	234

Average time taken to initiate an Anti-Dumping investigation has also come down to 33 days in 2019-20 as compared to 43 days in 2018-19.

 DGTR has also started using all available options for providing relief against unfair trade practices like the first ever Safeguard Quantitative Restrictions investigation on imports of Iso-propyl Alcohol initiated under the FTDR Act, 2002 on 04.11.2019; three Bilateral Safeguard Investigations initiated (Refined Bleached Deodrized Palmolien against Malaysia; Phthalic Anhydride and Polybutadiene Rubber against Korea); two global Safeguard investigations initiated under the Custom Tariff Act, 1997 (Phenol and Single Mode Optical Fibre) and nine Countervailing Duty investigations completed and five are underway.

Anti-circumvention provision was introduced in Customs Tariff Act, 1975 for Counter-vailing Duty (CVD) investigations. Rules of circumvention for AD and CVD are being simplified for providing relief to the domestic industry so that increased instances of circumvention in AD/CVD can be addressed. Six cases of anti-circumvention have been completed so far.

DGTR has initiated outreach programmes to sensitize stakeholders about the available trade remedy measures. The outreach programmes were conducted by officers of DGTR in Gurugram on 25.06.2019, Mumbai from 26.09.2019 to 27.09.2019 and Ahmedabad on 13.12.2019.

Training programmes were held during August-September, 2019 to sensitize the officers of Indian Trade Service, Indian Cost Accounts Service and officers from select Administrative Ministries regarding the available trade remedial measures.

Commerce and Industry Minister held a stakeholder meeting on Regulatory Instruments for formulation and implementation of an effective Trade Policy and Development Strategy on 11.09.2019. A help desk and Facilitation Centre were established on 23.09.2019 to facilitate optimal utilization by different stakeholders of available trade remedial measures aimed at curbing unfair trade. A total of 62 different issues have been dealt by the Centre since its setting up in September, 2019.

DGTR has launched an online portal - ARTIS (Application for Remedies in Trade for Indian industry and other Stakeholders) on 30.09.2019 to enhance transparency, efficiency and provide expedited relief to the domestic producers for different trade remedies like anti-dumping duty, safeguard duty and countervailing duty. Applicants can also monitor the current status of their applications through this portal. The portal will be further improvised so that it can in real terms bring about transformative change in the process of filing, tracking and monitoring the Trade Remedy applications.

Trade remedy investigations accelerated, shortening initiation and finding timelines and expanding anti-circumvention and safeguard measures. Directorate General of Trade Remedies initiated multiple anti-dumping, countervailing duty and safeguard investigations while reducing average time for initiation and final findings, introduced anti-circumvention measures and simplified rules, and launched administrative reforms-outreach, a help desk and the ARTIS online portal-to enhance transparency, stakeholder access and expedited processing of trade remedy applications.