New US probe of Thai shrimp

Business > Marketing

Published: 21 Jan 2013 at 00.21
Online news: Marketing

WASHINGTON - The US Commerce Department said Sunday it may impose duties on $4.2 billion a year in shrimp, more than half of it imported from Thailand, for allegedly getting unfair government subsidies.

Shrimp in the US now typically come frozen, in a bag or box, from Thailand, with labelling in several languages for sale in Chinese-owned supermarkets and in Canada.

China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia also are subject to possible penalties for "dumping" - selling shrimp in the US at prices below local markets. But Thailand, which supplies more a quarter of the US shrimp market, stands to suffer the most.

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HowIWish
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Discussion 6 : 21 Jan 2013 at 09.016
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Disc#3 BKK-boy, further to your comment regarding Ikea prices, it may not be all in import taxes fuelling the price differences. Ikea has been investigated in many countries regarding the same price discrepancies. The Australian Ikea CEO when questioned at length named, extra freight and storage costs, operational costs including wages, rent etc etc etc for the price hikes, never once mentioned the words government taxes nor inflated profit at the cost of the local market! One reason I don't buy Ikea products.
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watchdog
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Discussion 5 : 21 Jan 2013 at 06.465
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If Thailand thinks it has a case, take it to the WTO. The US does practice protectionism in some areas, but nearly as much as Thailand. This could be one of those cases (maybe some important congressional districts in the US have undue and unfair influence - it happens). But the protectionism in the US is not even close to what we see in Thailand. Look at import tariffs. Look at how Thailand reacted when it lost the WTO with the Philippines (how many in Thailand actually know about that case and what happened during the case?}
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robins
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Discussion 4 : 21 Jan 2013 at 05.264
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So logical, the American Government allows the entire domestic consumer electronics industry, the entire clothes and shoe industry and most of the home appliance industry to be entirely wiped out by foreign competition, but consider shrimp too important to sacrifice. Does anyone understand this logic, or is this just childish retaliation for the pirated DVD's at Pantip?
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BKK-boy
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Discussion 3 : 21 Jan 2013 at 03.173
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I remarked already that in Belgium frozen schrimps from Thailand are cheaper than when I buy schrimps in Thailand.

Disc 1: you are right about the massive import taxes. Let me give some examples.
Ikea catalogue page 264: object 12: 100€ in Belgium (4000THB); same page in the Thai catalogue: 6990THB. Page 269 in both Belgian and Thai catalogues(with the same pictures): 158€ or about 6320THB in Belgium; 20600THB in Thailand!!! Page 271: 449€ or 17690THB in Belgium; 37780THB, or about 20000THB more expensive in Thailand!!!
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oldexp
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Discussion 2 : 21 Jan 2013 at 01.412
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will Thailand ever be able to sell its rice?
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bkkfarang1
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Discussion 1 : 21 Jan 2013 at 01.071
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Like Thailand, the USA has the right to protect its own industry, just think anything imported into Thailand has massive duty tax on it, so its tit for tat!
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New US probe of Thai shrimp | Bangkok Post: business