Antidumping committee proposes wheat import duties

Antidumping committee proposes wheat import duties

JAKARTA (Dow Jones): Indonesia's antidumping committee under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed antidumping penalties on imports of wheat flour from the United Arab Emirates, Australia and the European Union, chairman of Indonesian Flour Mills Association said Friday.

Fransciscus Welirang, chairman of the association, told reporters he had received a letter on July 2 from the antidumping committee detailing its proposals made to the Finance Ministry.

The antidumping unit began investigations on allegations of dumping last year following complaints lodged by flour millers, Fransciscus said.

Following investigations on the dumping allegations, the committee has proposed that: - imports of wheat flour from the E.U. be imposed with 22 percent to 35 percent import duties, from zero currently. - imports from Australia be imposed with 34 percent. Imports from Australia's Manieldra Co. be imposed 5.4 percent duty and from Western Mill Co. 22 percent duty. - imports from the UAE be imposed with 35 percent duty, while imports from the UAE's National Flour be charged with 22 percent duty.

Fransciscus said the antidumping committee hopes the Finance Ministry will impose the duties early August.

Figures from the Association, or Appindo, show that Indonesia's total wheat flour imports in the first quarter of 2001 rose to 400,000 metric tons, from 157,600 tons in the first quarter of last year.

Total wheat flour imports in 2000 reached 450,000 tons.

Indonesia, meanwhile, imported 721,172 tons of wheat in the first quarter of 2001. Of this amount, 42 percent or 302,00 tons of wheat imports came from Australia. Some 22 percent, or 156,000 tons, came from Canada and 36 percent, or 263,000, tons came from the U.S., Appindo said.