China imposes anti-dumping measures against US sorghum

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Tuesday that it will impose provisional anti-dumping measures on grain sorghum imported from the United States.

A preliminary ruling by the MOC found that US companies had dumped grain sorghum on the Chinese market, and such imports had caused substantial damage to the domestic industry.

Starting on Wednesday, importers of the product will be required to pay deposits with Chinese customs calculated based on a rate of 178.6 per cent, according to the ministry.

CHS Inc, Planter's Grain Co-operative, and JC Farms are among the 18 US companies on the list.

Data from the MOC showed US sorghum exports to China surged from 317,000 tonnes in 2013 to 4.76 million tonnes in 2017, while export prices have slumped 31 per cent during the period, which led to a fall in domestic prices that hurt local industries.

Wang Hejun, head of the ministry's trade remedy and investigation bureau, said the decision is in accordance with Chinese laws and WTO rules, and is aimed at correcting unfair practices to maintain a healthy trade order..