India Recommends Five-Year Extension Of China Sodium Hydrosulphite Anti-Dumping Duty

The recommendation is not yet an extended customs duty. The Central Government, acting through the Ministry of Finance, must issue a notification before the proposed measure becomes operative. The existing duty under Notification No. 71/2021-Customs (ADD) is scheduled to expire on 16 December 2026 unless renewed.

The product scope covers sodium hydrosulphite produced through zinc or sodium formate processes, including hydrosulphite concentrate, sodium dithionite, sodium hydrosulfite and SHS. Its chemical formula is Na2S2O4. Imports are reported under tariff codes 2831 1010 and 2832 1020, but the written product description governs coverage.

China Remains In Scope While Korea Falls Away

The proposed USD 440 per metric tonne duty covers subject goods originating in China and exported from any country, as well as subject goods originating elsewhere but exported from China. The duty table is designed to address both direct shipments and relevant routed exports.

The review does not continue measures against the Republic of Korea. The authority found that Korean imports had ceased and did not establish a likelihood of recurrence from that country. Businesses should therefore avoid describing the recommendation as applying to both countries covered by earlier proceedings.

The authority found that the domestic industry was not currently suffering material injury while the duty remained in place. It nevertheless concluded that dumped and injurious imports from China were likely to recur if the measure expired. The final finding states that 99% of Chinese exports to third countries were dumped, 98% were at injurious prices and 95% were below Indian prices.

Sodium hydrosulphite is used as a reducing and bleaching agent in textiles, pulp, paper, sugar, molasses, glue and kaolin, and in pharmaceuticals, polymers and oxygen-scavenging applications. The authority estimated that the recommended duty would add about 0.17% to cotton costs, 0.31% to denim and sugar, 1.11% to cefaclor, 0.13% to cotrimoxazole and similarly limited proportions for other sampled downstream products.

Planning Before The Government Decision

Importers and downstream users should map Chinese-origin purchases, verify product descriptions and origin routes, and model the USD 440 per metric tonne scenario. Contracts extending beyond 16 December should allocate responsibility for any continued duty. Procurement teams should also check domestic availability and alternative sources without assuming that a recommendation guarantees implementation.

The timing gap between recommendation and notification matters for procurement. Treating the proposed extension as already effective misstates the law, but ignoring it could leave year-end shipments commercially exposed if the government acts before the current measure lapses.