A new anti-dumping and countervailing duty petition may lead to an increase in import tariffs on a key input for manufacturers of textiles, leather and flame retardant materials in the US. The petition alleges dumping margins between 273.33 per cent and 474.94 per cent on import of ammonium sulphate (classified under HTSUS sub-heading 3102.21.0000) from China, says a recent Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg (STR) Trade Report. The petition covers ammonium sulphate in all physical forms, with or without additives such as anti-caking agents. The scope includes ammonium sulphate that is combined with other products, such as by blending (e.g. mixing granules of ammonium sulphate with granules of one or more other products), compounding (e.g. compacting ammonium sulphate with one or more other products under high pressure) or granulating (e.g. incorporating multiple products into granules through a slurry process), regardless of whether the combining occurs in third countries, the STR report said. In case of combined products, only the ammonium sulphate component is covered in the scope. Ammonium sulphate when commingled with the same product from sources other than China is also included in this scope. The next step is for the US department of commerce and the US international trade commission (USITC) to determine whether to launch anti-dumping and/or countervailing duty and injury investigations, respectively on ammonium sulphate.
