PH extends anti-dumping duty on flour from Turkey

The Tariff Commission slapped another three-year anti-dumping duty on Turkish flour after 16 months of investigation into the dumping activities of Turkish millers.

The first dumping duty imposition made in 2015 was supposed to expire in January 2020, but was extended pending the completion of the investigation. The TC decision is posted on its website.

The Philippine Association of Flour Millers which filed the petition to review the expiring 2015-2020 anti-dumping duty on Turkish flour welcomed the TC decision as a victory for fair trade and lauded the TC review process for being just and fair.

Republic Act No. 8752, or the Anti-Dumping Act of 1999, requires the filing of a petition for extension six months before the expiration.

Before coming up with the decision, the TC sent an investigative team to Turkey and visited flour mills exporting to the Philippines. PAFMIL member companies were also inspected by the TC and their production, financial and sales records were reviewed.

The new dumping tariff rates are higher than those previously imposed, with the highest dumping rate of 29.57 percent against the previous highest penalty of 16.19 percent duty. The dumping penalty is in addition to the present 7-percent import duty of flour.

PAFMIL sought the extension of the anti-dumping duty on the likelihood of recurrence of dumping which would threaten the local flour milling industry. The Philippines is said to be the third largest market of Turkish flour, next only to Iraq and Syria.

PAFMIL said Turkey exported as much as $68.5 million worth of wheat flour to the Philippines in 2012, representing 8 percent of its total flour exports.

PAFMIL was represented by the law firm Britanico, Sarmiento and Ringler Law Offices.

The Philippines has 22 flour mills producing more than 80 million bags of flour annually. Seven of these mills are members of PAFMIL, including Philippine Flour Mills, Liberty Flour Mills, Wellington Flour Mills, RFM Corp., General Milling Corp., Universal Robina Corp. and Pilmico Foods Corp.

Four mills belong to the Chamber of Philippine Flour Millers, including San Miguel Mills, Philippine Foremost Milling Corp., Morning Star Milling Corp. and Delta Milling Corp.

The other mills are Monde Nissin Corp., Mabuhay Interflour Mills Inc., Atlantic Flour Mills, Agri Pacific Flour Mills, Asian Grains Inc., Crown Asia Milling Corp., Great Earth Milling Corp., New Hope Milling Corp., North Star Milling Corp., Big C Agri Millers and California Flour Mill Group Inc.