Govt Looking Into Import Duty, FTA Issues: Steel Minister

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over problems being faced by domestic steelmakers due to large-scale dumping from abroad, Steel Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government is looking into the issues related to import duties and Free Trade Agreements(FTA).

The minister also said the government is seized of the issues impacting the steel sector and will take a decision in appropriate time, including on import duties. The industry has been demanding further hike in import duty on steel products.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are in consultation with the Ministries of Finance and Commerce and the Prime Minister to decide and reconsider on these FTAs and further increase in anti dumping duties very soon to safeguard the suffering rubber and steel industry domestically," a CII statement quoted Tomar as saying.

Indian steel industry has been hit hard due to cheap imports of the metal from China as well as from South Korea, which has a FTA with India that the industry says is leading to the country exporting cheaper products to India.

While addressing at an event organised by CII, Tomar assured the rubber industry that the government is seized of the matter and is concerned about the situation.

"We are concerned about the situation your industry is facing related to power and dumping by China. We are working on it to sort this out. The government is looking at the issue of FTAs and their impact on the industry," he added.

India, world's third largest steel producer, saw a surge in import stainless steel surge by 49 per cent to 5.5 lakh tonnes (LT) in 2014-15 against 3.7 LT in 2013-14.

In value terms, imports of the metal rose by 23 per cent to Rs 5,918.9 crore in 2014-15, as against Rs 4,801.9 crore in 2013-14.

Earlier this month, Revenue Secretary Shaktikanta Das had said that a decision regarding imposition of safeguard duty on import of steel will not be delayed if the Directorate General of Safeguards recommends restrictive duty.
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