EC eases grip on RI sack products

EC eases grip on RI sack products

The European Committee (EC) has terminated its antidumping
investigation into Indonesian sacks and bags exported to Europe,
a senior trade official said.

With the EC decision, made on Nov. 18, Indonesian sack and bag
products could enter the European market without having to pay
antidumping duty, said Pos M. Hutabarat, Director General of
International Trade and Industrial Cooperation at the Ministry of
Trade and Industry, in a press statement issued on Friday.

The termination move was made following a request from the
European Association for Textile Polyefins (EATP) to withdraw its
earlier complaint with the EC on the Indonesian export products.

On April 13, 1995, the EC accused the Indonesian sack and bag
manufacturers of dumping practices. Since October 1997, the EC
has imposed an antidumping duty on Indonesian sack and bag
products.

The European Union (EU) is one of the main export destinations
of Indonesian sacks and bags, with an average annual export value
of US$17.7 million during 1999-2002. This market absorbs around
27.82 percent of the country's total sack and bag exports.

The EU market is also seen as a gateway for Indonesian export
products to non-EU markets. -- JP