Trade Commission to investigate petition from Aluworks

The Ghana Trade International Commission will investigate a petition from the Aluworks Company Limited before the Commission on unfair trade activities and dumping of aluminium products into the country.

Nana Adu Gyamfi, the Chairman of the Commission at a hearing session of the petition said the Commission would review all the petition and response before them and come out with a ruling on the matter.

Mr Kwasi Okoh, the Managing Director of Aluworks in a petition before the Commission said goods were being illegitimately imported into the country by various means without due processes.

The company mentioned Sunda International Limited and Yai Tin International Limited as among the exporting companies.

According to Mr Okoh, the products are made cheap because of the export rebates granted by the exporting country which affect the local market.

Also, the company said the process had made the goods cheap through deliberate mis-description on import documents and misapplication of relevant tariff codes.

Mr Okoh stated that the phenomenon had led to significant lowering of the company’s market share, adding that the company produced and sold over 15,800 metric tonnes of aluminium in 2006 but could now produce 3,800 tonnes in 2018.

The company is demanding a playing field were appropriate countervailing measures are put in place to equalize the effect of the export rebates provided by the exporting countries.

“All efforts to equalize the playing field yielded no results and the market share has been severely disrupted and damaged”, he added.

He said importing now had become cheaper than manufacturing, stressing that Indian and Chinese traders are flouting the country’s law to facilitate their businesses, calling on the Commission to conduct thorough investigation on the matter.

Dr James Asare, former President of Association of Ghana Industries said that the AGI and the roofing Sector empathized with the challenges Aluworks was going through, but debunked the allegations leveled against the exporting companies.

He said Aluworks lacked capacity to meet the local demand in terms of aluminium volumes it could supply to the market which compelled some companies to buy from outside at a high cost in order to augment Aluworks supply.

Dr Asare added that the challenges of Aluworks were beyond meeting demand requirement but was saddled with obsolete and outmoded equipment which had rendered them ineffective in competing with their counterpart.

He urged all stakeholders including Government, private sector and players of the industry to work to ensure that Aluworks bounced back to serious business.