India proposes US$218 per tonne anti-dumping duty on PET film

INDIA – India’s trade remedies authority has recommended definitive anti-dumping duties of up to US$218 per tonne on polyethylene terephthalate film imports from Bangladesh for five years, following a year-long investigation covering China and Thailand as well.

In the final findings dated 29 September 2026, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies proposed a duty of US$218 per tonne on film exported by most Bangladeshi firms. 

It set a lower rate of US$58 per tonne for AKIJ Biax Films Ltd, a concern of AkijBashir Group and the only Bangladeshi company to cooperate with the probe. 

The recommendation covers PET film, plastic sheets widely used in flexible packaging for food, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods, as well as in electrical and industrial applications.

Chinese and Thai Exporters Face Varying Duty Rates

Chinese producers face duties of US$54 to US$361 per tonne depending on whether they cooperated, while Thai exporters face US$198 to US$366, according to the DGTR report.

The authority concluded that dumped imports from the three countries undercut Indian producers’ prices and caused material injury. 

The duties take effect only if India’s finance ministry notifies them.

Import Volumes Rise Sharply From Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s shipments of PET film rose from 12 tonnes in fiscal year 2021-22 to 2,763 tonnes in 2024-25, according to the findings, representing about 3.4 percent of India’s PET film imports. 

China supplied 26,086 tonnes and Thailand 12,870 tonnes. The DGTR found that all of AKIJ’s relevant home-market sales were below cost, so it built a normal value from the company’s costs rather than domestic prices. 

It declined to adjust AKIJ’s export price for export incentives, saying the claim was not tied to the product shipped to India.

Probe Follows Complaints From Indian Manufacturers

The probe began on 30 September 2025 after an application from Indian manufacturers Chiripal Poly Films, Ester Industries and Vacmet India. 

It initially covered Bangladesh, China, Thailand and the United States, with the US dropped at the preliminary stage after the domestic industry withdrew its complaint. 

The investigation examined imports from April 2024 to March 2025, with injury assessment running from 2021-22 to the end of that period. 

The recommendation follows India’s imposition of anti-dumping duties of up to US$445 per tonne on Bangladeshi jute products, and separate countervailing duty proposals of up to US$140.04 per tonne on jute. 

With PET film facing these tariffs, the number of Bangladeshi export products subject to such trade measures stands at five.

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