Coke shortage forces India to review anti-dumping duties
The Ministry of Steel of India has asked the Ministry of Finance to cancel anti-dumping duties on imports of low-ash metallurgical coke. This is reported by Reuters with reference to the relevant government document.
The relevant agency appeals to the insufficient domestic supply of these products and higher prices for them. Since January last year, the country has imposed a temporary anti-dumping duty on imports of low-ash metallurgical coke for a period of six months.
The Ministry of Steel drew attention to the difficulties faced by the state-owned company RINL, which was unable to purchase sufficient quantities of Coke at affordable prices on the domestic market. This led to a 20% increase in production costs. Insufficient supply of coke negatively affects its operational viability and competitiveness — the company is currently undergoing financial recovery with the support of the government.
The Agency is also concerned about the situation with metallurgical SMEs, which are heavily dependent on commercial suppliers.
The country's steel mills have faced difficulties in purchasing coke since the restrictions were introduced. Concerns about their influence have also been expressed by major players such as JSW Steel and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India.
According to BigMint, last year, imports of metallurgical coke to India fell by 21% year-on-year, to 3.81 million tons. The country imports these products mainly from China, Indonesia, Poland, Japan and Switzerland.