Lawyers of both sides of the dispute are gaining monetary outcome and this follows the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to retrospectively increase antidumping tariffs on frozen pangasius fillets imported from Vietnam on a massive scale. So much so that exporters will now have to pay more in duty than they received from the sale of the fish in the first place, and many producers are already saying that they will be unable to export to the United States if the new tariff levels are confirmed in March.
VASEP is fighting the DOC’s decision, and lawyers are helping the organization prepare a report “that will show DOC’s calculation of tax tariffs on Vietnamese pangasius products was based on an inaccurate set of data.” The main question is that how much all this action is costing the Vietnamese seafood industry and what is it getting in return. It is observed that US government and its agencies appear to be so set against allowing pangasius from Vietnam to be sold in the United States. Even if this latest dispute is resolved in favor of Vietnamese exporters, then sooner or later another obstacle will be placed in their path.
So far, Vietnamese exporters have resisted becoming involved in a war of words with U.S. channel catfish farmers, who say Vietnamese pangasius is taking over their market, even though the ammunition is there. Sources familiar with both industries have pointed out that the channel catfish farmers in the South are not always the good guys.
VASEP VP Nguyen Huu Dung said that it does seem that Vietnamese exporters are considering retaliatory action over trade, potentially igniting a trade war. “In the worst scenario, if Vietnamese enterprises still have to bear these unjust tax levels, it’s very likely that we will take a similar action by importing foodstuffs for livestock from other markets rather than the United States.
