US accuses RI of biodiesel dumping

US-based National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition (NBB) and 15 US biodiesel producers filed on Thursday petition with the US Department of Trade and International Trade Commission to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of biodiesel from Indonesia and Argentine.

The two countries have been accused of dumping practices and providing subsidy that have made their biodiesel products to be more competitive in the US market.

The petition was made just a week before the government of Indonesia plans to file complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on March 29-30 against the anti-dumping duty imposed by the European Commission on Indonesian biodiesel products. Argentine has previously won a similar case at the WTO.

Kontan quoted Head of the Indonesia Biofuel Producers Association (APROBI) Paulus Tjakrawan as saying that the US petition has provided another obstacle in Indonesia?s export of biodiesel to the US market. Indonesia currently accounts for 5.1 percent of the US biodiesel market. (*)