The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has issued an affirmative preliminary determination in its antidumping duty investigations, setting initial dumping margins at 52.30 - 76.11 percent for Vietnam ’s plastic bags.

According to “businesswire.com” website, the DOC report released on Oct. 27 also says that the preliminary dumping margins calculated by itself range from 67.18 percent to 67.62 percent for polyethylene retail carrier bags from Indonesia and from 28.69 percent to 95.81 percent for those from Taiwan .

The DOC's preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigations of imports of polyethylene retail carrier bags from Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan was released after the two US companies, namely Hilex Poly Co., LLC, and Superbag Corporation, filed a petition on March 31 with both the DOC and the US International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging that an industry in the US was materially injured by reason of subsidised plastic bags imported from the three exporters.

Under the preliminary determination, 16 Vietnamese companies will be imposed an anti-dumping duty of 52.30 percent, including Alpha Plastics ( Vietnam ) Co., Ltd; Alta Company; Hanoi 27-7 Packaging Co., Ltd (HAPACK); Richway Plastics Vietnam Co., Ltd and VN Plastic Industries Co., Ltd.

The Fotai Vietnam Enterprise Corp., Advance Polybag Co., Ltd and all Vietnamese PE producers and exporters must pay an anti-dumping tax of 76.11 percent while exporting their products to the US .

The DOC is currently scheduled to issue its final determination on January 11, 2010 and the ITC will make its final determination 45 days after.

According to ITC data, the values of imports of plastic bags from Vietnam , Indonesia , and Taiwan in 2008 were 79 million USD, 38 million USD, and 51 million USD, respectively./.