DGTR called a meeting on solar cells safeguard duty case on 3rd July 2020
DGTR called upon the interested parties for an oral hearing on Friday, 3rd July 2020 to further probe into the case of safeguard duty imposition continuity on solar cell imports.
Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the investigative arm of the Ministry of Commerce has called upon the interested parties for an oral hearing on Friday, 3rd July 2020 to further probe into the case of safeguard duty imposition continuity on solar cell imports.
Though, earlier this oral hearing was scheduled on 11th June 2020 – through digital video conference. However, it was postponed due to certain administrative restraints. Thus, DGTR has re-schedule the aforesaid hearing and will now be held on 3rd July 2020.
In this regard, a request petition for a review of safeguard duty extension was filed by Mundra Solar, Jupiter Solar Power, and Jupiter International, through the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA), in March 2020.
The companies have sought a continual imposition of the safeguard duty to protect domestic producers from serious injury or the threat of major injury caused by such increases in imports, which has been imposed on imports from “solar cells, assembled or not in modules and panels.”
The government imposed the safeguard duty on July 30th, 2018, for a duration of 2 years that is scheduled to end in July 2020. It was asked in the petition, that the government should continue the imposition of safeguard duty for four more years.
Additional Measures
As part of a country’s goal of becoming self-reliant, the Ministry of Renewable Energy also proposes to impose customs duties on some solar power equipment.
As of August, the Ministry of Commerce has proposed to impose 25 percent of customs duty on solar modules that are subjected to increase to 40 percent from April 2022.
While on Solar cells, the proposed custom duty is 15 percent subject to escalating to 25 percent by 2022. On the other hand, an import duty of 20 percent is imposed on solar inverters.
Currently, about 80 percent of the modules in India are imported from China. Indian imports of solar cells and modules from China and Malaysia currently attract 15 percent safeguard duty that is expiring in July 2020 end.
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