India extends submission time for halobutyl rubber imports probe

New Delhi – The Indian government has extended the deadline to submit comments for an investigation into the alleged dumping of halobutyl rubber (HIIR) originating or exported from the UK, US, Japan, Russia and Singapore.

The directorate general of trade remedies (DGTR) of the Indian commerce ministry said it had extended the deadline to 25 Nov, following requests from certain interested parties for the additional time.

The synthetic rubber probe was launched 30 Sept, with India's trade directorate initially allowing 30 days for the submission of comments.

The investigation was initiated by local manufacturer Reliance Sibur Elastomers (RSE), which claimed that HIIR imports from the named countries had “materially retarded” the domestic industry.

The applicant, according to DGTR, had provided information showing that these imports had “prevented price increases, which otherwise would have occurred.”

RSE also claimed that it has faced "underutilisation of capacities and had been forced to export in order to dispose of its production and had sold in the domestic market below its cost of sales."

As a result, the India-based rubber manufacturer claimed that it had earned a “negligible return” on its capital employed.

“The performance of the domestic industry is much lower than that projected, both in terms of volume and profitability parameters," commented DGTR.