Industry bodies seek safeguards against influx of Chinese goods

Want govt to enforce anti-dumping duties, warn of mill closures and job losses

- SHINE JACOB & SOHINI DAS

Various industry bodies have sought immediate government intervention through the imposition of anti-dumping duties, claiming India has seen a surge in imports of Chinese goods over the past two weeks.

Though the recent volume of most Chinese imports cannot be quantified at the moment, domestic players attribute the sudden spike to higher tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration in the US. They said this was creating price disparities and oversupply issues that were hurting domestic manufacturers.

For instance, imported viscose staple yarn (VSY) is currently priced around ₹13 per kilogram lower than its Indian counterpart. Similarly, rubber gloves are reportedly being sold at a price difference of up to $8 per 1,000 units, while medical device imports have surged as much as 80 per cent across 12 key categories. Sources from the toy industry have also reported a rise in imports of knocked-down kits from China, despite mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification for such goods.

The Tamil Nadu Spinning Mills Association (TASMA) has already issued warnings about potential mill closures and job losses due to the "unfair price structure" created by cheaper Chinese VSY.