Turkish trade body denies US anti-dumping allegations

Turkish steel producers can look forward to an anti-dumping suit, courtesy of Columbia, following a US investigation, claims Namik Ekinci, chairman of the Turkish Steel Exporters’ Union.

Ekinci believes that the on-going US investigation will work in favour of Turkish producers simply because, he argues, they have not been involved in anti-dumping.

Speaking recently at a shale gas conference in the Turkish capital of Istanbul, Ekinci said that, in the past, the European Union and Egypt have filed anti-dumping suits on Turkish producers.

“Our exporters are sure of themselves and even the US producers know we are not involved in such acts,” Ekinci said, adding that the Americans file such suits simply to gain market share during the course of the legal process involved when Turkish steelmakers are prohibited from exporting to the USA.

Even if Turkish producers are ‘not guilty’ they won’t be able to recoup their losses, Ekinci said, explaining how they were acquitted in Egypt and how Turkish steel products were held up there as ‘examples of price competition and high quality standards’.

Egypt, said Ekinci, had imposed a temporary 6.8% tax on Turkish products while the investigation was in progress. He said that local producers at the time had caused cost inflation by implementing price hikes on steel and argued that unfair competition and protectionism were bad for the public and for business.

The investigation in question was launched by the US Commerce Department in July last year. It has been described as one of its biggest trade investigations of its kind and accused Turkey, India and seven other nations of selling steel pipes at unfairly low prices in the USA.

Mehmet Zeren, president of the Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers' Association claims that Turkey is the only country among those accused, that does not send end-products to the USA. He said that Turkish steel pipes sent to the USA have to go through a final process by local developers before they can be used and added that Turkish products are not subsidised.

Source: Steel Times International