The Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided, after consulting the Import Supervision Commission, to open an anti-dumping investigation into imports of cold-rolled steel plates originating from Egypt.
In a notice published Thursday, October 10, the Ryad Mezzour department declares having received a request from the company “MAGHREB STEEL which requests the implementation of an anti-dumping measure targeting imports of cold-rolled steel sheets originating from Egypt.
According to this request, filed in accordance with Article 16 of Law No. 15-09 relating to trade defense measures, “imports of cold-rolled steel sheets originating in Egypt would be dumped and constitute a threat of significant damage to the national industry”.
In fact, based on a comparison of the ex-factory normal value and the export price, the petition concluded that the calculated dumping margin is high and far exceeds the de minimis level of 2%.
According to the document, of which L’Opinion has a copy, Egyptian imports have experienced a significant increase since their introduction to the Moroccan market in 2022. From 2022 to 2023, they have more than tripled (343%). In volume, imports reached 6,049 tonnes at the end of May 2024, underlines the same source. Suspicions of dumping have become even stronger as imported quantities are expected to be higher than expected this year.
From these data provided by the applicant, it was concluded that imports from Egypt directly damaged the national steel plate industry. In other words, Egyptian exports “are the direct cause of the deterioration of the indicators of the national production industry, namely sales, market share and profitability of the national industry”.
This investigation will cover the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. On the other hand, the degree of threat of damage will cover the period from January 1 to June 30, 2024.
As a reminder, the applicant is the sole producer in the National Production Branch of cold-rolled steel sheets. Therefore, it is the source of all national production.
Cold-rolled steel plate is cold-rolled sheet in coils, not plated or coated. They are used to make different building materials such as tubes, hardware, metal frames, etc. They are also used in household appliances and air conditioning equipment and accessories as well as metal packaging.
Related News :