Philippines Starts Safeguards Probe on Coated Steel Imports
Philippines Department of Trade and Industry has ordered preliminary safeguards investigation on imported aluminum zinc sheets, coils and strips citing the surge in importation of these steel products has caused serious injury to the domestic industry. In a June 15, 2020 order, DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said that based on its findings that during the period of investigation 2014-2018, increased importation of GL sheets, coils and strips have caused serious injury to the domestic industry in terms of declining market share, production, sales, capacity utilization, profitability, employment, price depression, suppression and price undercutting.
Based on its initial findings in the investigation covering the period 2014-2015, significant increases in the volume of imported GL sheets in 2015 (3,090%), 2016 (300%), 2017 (7%) and in 2018 (20%) preceded the serious injury to the industry in 2018. The industry suffered declines in sales, production, utilization rate, profitability and employment. Inventory increased from 2014 to 2018. The condition of competition showed that the market share of domestic product decreased during the POI from 99 percent in 2014 to 25 percent in 2018, as share of imports in the domestic market displaced locally produced GL. With higher imports, domestic production declined from 2015-2018. Production increased in 2015 by 4 percent, but declined from 2016 to 2018 by 3 percent, 1 percent and 6 percent, respectively, as sales exhibited a declining trend during the POI. Domestic manufacturers production continued to fall despite an increase in market size. Total Philippine apparent market grew during the POI from approximately 66,000 tonnes in 2014 to 219,000 tonnes in 2018. But the share of non-manufacturers (traders and importers) to total Philippine market increased significantly from 1 percent in 2014 to more than 50 percent in 2018.
Source : Strategic Research Institute