The amount of anti-dumping duty on imports from Samsung Petrochemicals has been fixed at $16.07 per metric tonne while for all other exporters from Korea, it has been fixed at $17.04 per metric tonne.

Although the dumping margin as percentage of export price was 14.5 per cent for Samsung Petrochemicals, a lower anti-dumping duty was imposed as the difference between landed value of the imports and non-injurious selling price of the domestic industry was lower than the dumping margin, the authority said confirming continuation of definitive anti-dumping duties.

"Imports from Korea has led to price depression in the selling prices of PTA in the domestic market thus leading the petitioner to financial losses and causing injury to domestic industry," the authority said accepting Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL) plea for review of a previous imposition of anti-dumping duty.

PTA is a white free-flowing crystalline powder free from visual contamination and used in the manufacture of polyester staple fibre (PSF), polyester filament yarn (PFY), polyethylene terythialate (PET), bottle grade resins and polyester film. RIL had requested for review of anti-dumping duties imposed on PTA imports from Korea due to reduction in prices by Korean exporters and consequential increase of dumping margin and injury to it. Although RIL was excluded from the scope of domestic industry in the previous investigation, it was considered as an interested party as it had not made any imports during the period of the current investigation, the designated authority said adding that as RIL was the sole producer of PTA, it was treated as the domestic industry.

The authority noted that though there was no decline in the market share and production of RIL during April-September 1998 and imports of PTA also decreased, the dumped imports did not lead to any volume effect. However, the net sales realisation for RIL was below the non-injurious price on account of matching of the selling prices by RIL with the landed value of dumped imports, thus leading to financial losses. For other Korean exporters like Sunkyong Industries and Kohap Petrochemical the dumping margin was higher at 26.76 per cent.