ArmInfo.. The US Department of Commerce has decided to launch a new anti-dumping investigation into the supply of aluminum foil from a number of countries, due to issues related to the competitive nature of the supply.
''The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the initiation of new antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations to determine whether aluminum foil from Armenia, Brazil, Oman, Russia, and Turkey are being dumped in the U.S. market, and to determine if producers in Oman and Turkey are being unfairly subsidized.
The petitions were filed by the Aluminum Association Trade Enforcement Working Group and its individual members, Granges Americas Inc. (Franklin, TN), JW Aluminum Company (Daniel Island, SC), and Novelis Corporation (Atlanta, GA).
In the AD investigations, Commerce will determine whether imports of aluminum foil from these five countries are being dumped in the U.S. market at less than fair value. The alleged dumping margins are as follows: 45.65 percent for Armenia; 63.05 percent for Brazil; 57.74 percent for Oman; 62.18 percent for Russia; and 34.27 percent for Turkey.
In the CVD investigations, Commerce will determine whether producers of aluminum foil in Oman and Turkey are receiving unfair government subsidies. For Oman, there are eight alleged subsidy programs, including income tax programs, preferential lending programs, a grant program, and the provision of land and electricity for less than adequate remuneration.
For Turkey, there are 25 alleged subsidy programs, including tax programs, investment incentive schemes, lending schemes, the provision of land and natural gas for less than adequate remuneration, grant programs, and research and development incentive programs. The 2019 imports of aluminum foil from the countries under investigation were valued as follows: $21.6 million for Armenia; $68.4 million for Brazil; $48.1 million for Oman; $59.0 million for Russia; and $82.9 million for Turkey.
To recall, according to the customs service of Armenia, in 2019, 9671.3 tons of foil with a customs value of $ 28 million were exported to the United States from Armenia, and in the first half of 2020 - 6328.7 tons for $ 16.8 million.
The only producer of aluminum foil in Armenia, as well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia itself, is the Yerevan plant "Armenal" - one of the most modern and ecologically perfect foil rolling plants in the world. The plant produces hard and soft smooth aluminum foil 0.007-0.200 mm thick, 20-1500 mm wide, container foil for food containers and aluminum tape. The plant was established by RUSAL in May 2000 on the basis of the Kanaker aluminum plant. Since 2003, RUSAL has acquired all 100% of the plant's shares. In 2004 - 2006 the enterprise underwent a comprehensive modernization. The production capacity of the enterprise is 40 thousand tons of foil per year.
