Govt mulls imposing anti-dumping duty on Malaysian solar glass

New Delhi: In an effort to guard domestic manufacturers from cheap imports, authorities recommended imposing an anti-dumping duty of US$114.58 per tonne on a particular Malaysian glass, used in the solar industry. The duty on 'textured tempered coated and uncoated glass' imported from Malaysia was recommended by Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the commerce ministry's investigation arm. The product, used in solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal applications, is also known as solar glass.

Gujarat Borosil had last year asked DGTR for alleged dumping probe and imposition of the duty. In its probe, the directorate has concluded that there has been a material injury to the domestic industry because of the dumping of this glass from Malaysia.

An anti-dumping probe is carried out by countries to determine whether their domestic businesses have been hurt and prices have been distorted because of the availability of cheap imports.

"The authority recommends imposition of definitive anti-dumping duty on the imports for five years," the DGTR said in a notification.

The Finance Ministry will take a final decision to impose the duty. An anti-dumping probe is carried out by countries to determine whether their domestic businesses have been hurt and prices have been distorted because of the availability of cheap imports. The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practises and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers with regard to foreign producers and exporters.