The Hindu Business Line : Duty cut on seafood leaves exporters happy

THE decision of the US authorities to reduce the anti-dumping duty from 14.2 per cent to 9.45 per cent on the seafood exports from the country has been welcomed by the local seafood exporters.

At a press meet here on Tuesday, Dr K. Hari Babu, Vice-Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority, and Mr T. Raghunath Reddy, the Secretary-General of the Seafood Exporters' Association of India, said the final determination of the duty at 9.45 would boost exports to the US, which had been hit to an extent by the earlier decision.

Dr Haribabu said during the past two or three years the seafood exports to the US had really picked up and the anti-dumping duty had come as a body blow.

"However, the revised and reduced duty offers great relief to the industry. We are hopeful the exports will pick up again,'' he said.

He said the scampi (fresh water prawn) production had also been hit this season badly in Nellore district.

"As a result, the seafood exports are likely to go down this year by 15 per cent or so. But with this news they are likely to recoup during 2005. This is the best thing to have happened for the industry as the new year is approaching,'' he said.

Mr Raghunath Reddy and the representatives of Nekkanti Seafoods and Devi Seafoods, the two local firms on whose exports the duty had been imposed, echoed the same views.

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