India in anti-dumping crosshairs: US, Pakistan target Indian exports at WTO
New Delhi: The US, Brazil and Pakistan have initiated anti-dumping measures against India, which has been fighting its own battle against low-priced products flooding domestic markets.
Trade experts suggest some of these measures may be strategic, signalling a growing wave of trade defense actions against India and aimed at influencing New Delhi's trade negotiations with key partners.
Pakistan's anti-dumping charges against India are particularly baffling, as the two duelling neighbours have banned any trade between them.
Yet, Pakistan has initiated an anti-dumping investigation against India over exports of sulfonic acid, which is used in manufacturing detergents, dyes, and catalysts, according to a World Trade Organization report released late on Thursday (12 June).
The WTO document details preliminary and final anti-dumping measures undertaken by 11 members of the trade body, including major economies such as the US, Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the UK, against various countries. The report is based on notices submitted in May under Article 16.4 of the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement.
'Such measures reflect the growing wave of trade protectionism aimed at shielding domestic industries," said Abhash Kumar, a trade economist and assistant professor of economics at Delhi University, referring to the anti-dumping charges against India. 'The repeated targeting of Indian products highlights the need for India to adopt a more proactive trade defense strategy."
The commerce ministry didn't immediately reply to Mint's queries on the development.
Amid India-US trade talks
India and the US concluded a fifth round of face-to-face talks on 10 June on streamlining tariffs and reducing non-tariff barriers towards finalising a landmark bilateral trade agreement. But New Delhi also approached the WTO over the US's steep tariffs on Indian steel, aluminium and auto component exports.
Washington has rejected India's notices at the WTO against the US's 25% tariff on steel and aluminium—both of which have since been increased to 50%—as well as the 25% duty on auto components.
However, as per a Mint report on 10 June, the US has agreed to discuss both issues with India outside the WTO framework.
Amidst this, the US has initiated a broad set of investigations into Indian exports across critical sectors, according to the WTO report.
These include ceramic tiles, cold-drawn mechanical tubing of carbon and alloy steel, and corrosion-resistant steel products, which are central to India's manufacturing and infrastructure export strategy.
Also read | US puts hard terms on table, presents a take-it-or-leave-it offer
India's total exports of ceramic products to the US stood at $403.87 million in 2023-24, but declined to $361.44 million in FY25, according to commerce ministry data.
In the chemical sector, Indian-origin epoxy resins, glycine, melamine, and granular polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resins are facing trade restrictions.
The US has also listed Indian exports of 2,4-D herbicide and raw honey under anti-dumping scrutiny, pointing to growing tensions over India's role in global agricultural commodity markets.
Exports of Indian-origin resins to the US increased from $358.07 million in FY24 to $448.73 million in FY25, while India's honey exports to the US jumped from $176.29 million to $204.58 million.
Pakistan's puzzling charges
India's challenges are not limited to Washington. Brazil has named India in an investigation into pre-painted steel, raising concerns over competitive steel pricing from South Asia.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into sulphonic acid imports from six countries, including India.
This development is particularly puzzling given that India banned exports to Pakistan after the Pulwama attack in 2019, and Pakistan banned all trade with India in August 2019 following India's decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
With direct imports from India into Pakistan prohibited for nearly six years, analysts suggest that Islamabad's investigation may be aimed at Indian-origin sulphonic acid entering Pakistan through third countries such as the UAE, Singapore, or Malaysia.
Also read | After US's 50% tariff blow, India now faces EU heat on steel quotas
'These shipments may have been relabelled to hide their Indian origin, raising concerns within Pakistan's domestic industry. It's also possible that the investigation is based on the injury caused by imports that took place before the trade ban came into effect," said Ajay Srivastava, co-founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, a think tank.
'Alternatively, the move could be strategic, aimed at formally challenging India's pricing practices and laying the groundwork for future trade negotiations," he added.
India's anti-dumping woes
India's trade investigation body, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has initiated 11 anti-dumping investigations and issued final findings in 13 cases—mostly targeting Chinese products—in FY25.
In the past, India had launched an anti‑dumping probe on high‑speed steel imports from Brazil in 2018. In January this year, the DGTR launched anti-dumping investigations into imports of nylon filament yarn and sulphenamides accelerators originating from the US.
'As anti-dumping actions rise globally, including from key partners like the US, India will use both its legal rights at the WTO and the ongoing BTA negotiations to defend its exporters, push for fairer trade rules, and address protectionist barriers," a government official said.
However, India did not file any new cases during the May reporting period.
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