Centre probes alleged export subsidisation on fibreboards

New Delhi: India has initiated a probe into alleged exports subsidisation by Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam on fibreboards, which is impacting the domestic industry, according to a notification.

The commerce ministry's investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has started the probe to examine whether the subsidy programmes of these five countries for exports of fibreboards are impacting the domestic industry.

Greenply Industries/ Greenpanel Industries, Century Plyboards (India) and Rushil Decor have filed an application on behalf of domestic industry before the directorate alleging subsidisation of fibreboards from these five countries. They have requested for initiation of an anti-subsidy investigation for levy of countervailing duties on the imports of the goods, DGTR said in a notification.

According to the notification, it has found evidence of existence of "countervailable subsidies" on production and export of the goods. Such subsidised exports by companies in these five countries are causing material injury to the domestic industry and there is a further threat of injury to them.