Minh Phú appeals to the International Court of Arbitration against the wrong conclusion of selling India-originated shrimps
Minh Phú Corporation (MPC) said that they would appeal to a higher court against the decision by CBP. The consideration will last 60 days since the appeal is received. If the appeal is not satisfactory, MPC will continue to appeal to the International Court of Arbitration.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) gave an evidentiary conclusion stating that MSeafood Corporation (MSeafood) – a subsidiary of Minh Phú Corporation (MPC) violated the US’s trade laws using frozen warmwater shrimps imported from India to avoid the anti-dumping tax imposed by the US. MPC is supposed to bear anti-dumping tax selling Vietnamese shrimps to the US as India.
On Oct 22, 2020, MPC had an official response saying that they greatly were surprised by CBP’s decision. According to MPC, the company had fully cooperated with the inspectorate in investigating, verifying and separating Vietnam-originated shrimps from India-originated shrimps in the production chain so as to ensure that only Vietnamese shrimps would go to the US. However, CBP did not go to Vietnam and carry out the field investigation. On the other hand, CBP set up its own standards in separating shrimps and requesting MPC to apply this method without using the one which had been used for the last four years.
“As MPC did not follow the standards requested by CBP, CBP applied the available disadvantageous conditions and jumped to a conclusion that MPC violated the EAPA. Those standards given by CBP are not suitable to the characteristics of the shrimp sector. As far as we know this traceability system has not been applied by any shrimp producers and exporters”, emphasized MPC.
Likewise, MPC affirmed that since late July 2019, the company has stopped importing material shrimps from India. MPC has invested into two Hitech shrimp farms in Minh Phú Kiên Giang (600 ha) và Minh Phú Lộc An (300 ha). Besides, the company has been setting up a value chain to supply shrimps to the Mekong Delta and Southwest provinces, with sustainable shrimp farms such as 100,000 ha of industrial shrimp farm, 25,000 ha of organic shrimp farm and more than 10,000 ha of shrimp-rice farm.
MPC said that they will appeal to the higher court against CBP’s decision. The appeal will be considered within 60 days since the appeal is received. If the appeal is not satisfactory, MPC will continue to appeal to the International Court of Arbitration.
VFM
