The Directorate of General of Trade Remedies has decided to launch an anti-dumping duty investigation into imports of aluminum frames for solar panels from China.
This move has raised concerns among domestic manufacturers who fear that the imposition of the duty will make it difficult for them to compete and flood the market with imported solar panels.
North India Module Manufacturers Association president Manish Gupta said that the government should take up the issue of panel imports from China and Asian countries and help the domestic manufacturing industry instead of contemplating duty on aluminium frames.
“The present application essentially attempts to impose duty on aluminum profiles and sections in the pretext of imposing duty on aluminum frames of solar panels,” said Gupta.
He said the foreign suppliers are neither the producer of aluminum frames for solar panels nor are they supplier of these frames, rather, they are simply producers/supplier of cut to length aluminum profiles and sections.
“The identification of the product for purposes of investigation is vague and thus on this ground alone investigation needs to be terminated,” added Gupta.
Gupta said, the ministry should look at the data for solar panel imports and find ways to curb their shipments to the country, reported TOI.
Citing data for April and May, Gupta said that in the first two months of the current financial year, panel imports from Asian countries rose to 568 MW against 267 MW during last year. Asian countries now account for 48 per cent of the total imports, while the rest are from China.
