Commerce ministry for imposing anti-dumping duty on Chinese ofloxacin medicine

New Delhi: The commerce ministry has recommended imposition of anti-dumping duty on Chinese ofloxacin -- a medicine used to treat certain infections -- for five years to guard domestic players from cheap imports from the neighbouring country.

Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended the duty on imports of 'ofloxacin' and its intermediates from China after concluding in its probe that the product has been exported at dumped prices into India, which impacted the domestic industry.

"The authority considers it necessary and recommends imposition of the anti-dumping duty for a period of 5 years," the directorate has said in a notification.

Ofloxacin is used to treat certain infections including bronchitis, pneumonia and infection of skin, bladder, urinary tract and prostate.

DGTR had conducted the probe following a complaint from Aarti Drugs Ltd about the dumping and initiation of the investigation.

The directorate works under the ministry.

The recommended duty ranges between USD 0.53 per kilogram and USD 7.03 per kilogram. The finance ministry takes the final call to impose these duties.

The imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.

Further, the department of revenue has said that the government has decided not to extend anti-dumping duty on 'textured tempered coated and un-coated glass' from China as recommended by the DGTR.

The directorate in May had recommended continuation of anti-dumping duty on Chinese solar glass for two years with a view to guard domestic players from cheap imports.