VNA: The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reaffirmed that Vietnamese exporters neither dump their shrimp products onto the US nor anyone else's market. Therefore, the imposition of any antidumping tariff on Vietnamese shrimp is unfair.

At a meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, VASEP announced the US Department of Commerce (DoC)'s final decision on tariffs impossed on Vietnamese shrimp exports.

According to VASEP, tariffs imposed on shrimp of Vietnamese businesses considered "obligatory and voluntary defendants" will increase between 0.17% and 0.25% against the level announced by the DoC on November 30,2004.

Under the DoC's decision, VASEP said, the Ngoc Sinh and Phuong Nam companies will enjoy a 4.57% tariff as other voluntary defendants, while the Truc An, Hai Thuan and Nha Trang companies will have to pay a tax rate of 25.76%.

VASEP also said that the DoC failed to fully take into account the competitive advantages brought about by the Vietnamese exporters due to the favourable natural conditions and low labour costs in Vietnam.

In particular, the DoC's decision, which deprives four Vietnamese exporters of a specific tariff, is unfair, as these businesses are independent companies that do not rely on the Vietnamese Government, VASEP said.

The association went on to say that the decision on taxes on shrimp imported from Vietnam and the five other countries will not resolve the existing difficulty of the US shrimp industry and that the US market still needs more shrimp imports from more efficient shrimp production countries.

VASEP also stressed that it supports the American Seafood Distributors Association's call for the US's sea shrimp industry's co-operation in order to seek effective and firm solutions./.