India has levied anti-dumping duty on import of Chinese pharma product, used in the treatment of certain infections, to protect domestic producers from below-cost shipments. 

The duty on import of ‘Ofloxacin’ from China will be in the range of $2.58 to $9.48 per kg for three years, said a notification issued by the Revenue Department in the Finance Ministry. 

The levy has been slapped following the recommendations of the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD).

Aarti Drugs had approached DGAD for initiation of anti-dumping investigation and imposition of duty on Ofloxacin imports. 

After a probe into the imports, the Authority concluded that the product has been exported to India from China below its normal value, “resulting in dumping’’. 

Countries carry out anti-dumping probe to determine whether their domestic industries have been hurt because of a surge in imports which are below the cost of producing them. As a counter measure, they impose duties under the multilateral regime of WTO. 

The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers with regard to foreign producers and exporters.