Argentine Beekeepers' Magazine

(Espacio Apícola - July 3, 2024) The first administrative review of antidumping sanctions applied in 2022 against honey imported from Argentina, Brazil, India and Vietnam where carried out by the US Department of Commerce (DOC).

The review period included commercial operations carried out between November 23, 2021, when the initial preliminary determination was issued, until May 31, 2023.

There were significant changes to the import tariffs on honey from the four countries investigated with a clear advantage for India and Brazil, an irrational polarization towards honey from Argentina and a complex equation for four categorizations in Vietnamese honey.

Here is the synoptic table distributed by some lawyers of the companies that received the information in advance, it is consistent with the documents published by the DOC yesterday and dated last July 1.

As preliminary, a dumping margin of 58.34% was determined for honey of the Association of Argentine Cooperatives (ACA), zero% for NEXCO S.A. All other companies are then left with a tariff of 58.34%. Generally the DOC follows section 735(c) of the rule that provides instructions for calculating the rate of the rest of the companies in a market economy investigation, this is normally a value equal to the average of the rates established for exporters and investigated producers, excluding those with zero or minimum margin (less than 0.5%) and all margins fully determined based on adverse facts (AFA). Since ACA is the only company sanctioned, then all the others receive the same rate.

The interested parties, plaintiffs or defendants, have 5 days, from the publication of this preliminary determination (done on the Federal Register last monday 8) , to refute these results in a summary document and 30 days to request a hearing from the DOC to exclusively address what was raised in the written claim.

The final determination of this review is expected next November, it may significantly increase or decrease the preliminar values. Until then, importing companies will continue to deposit based on the tariffs established in 2022, however, if these preliminary determinations are ratified, they will be applied retroactively.