Firms ask govt to restrict Chinese aluminium imports

Arguing that recent import duty hikes by the US may see huge amounts of Chinese aluminium scraps being dumped in India, manufacturers have asked the government to curb imports. Recently, executives from companies, including Vedanta and Hindalco, met Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Ramesh Abhishek to request that quantitative restrictions be placed on aluminium imports, which have shot up over the past two years. India’s aluminium imports rose in the last two years, and a majority of that came from nations, including Malaysia and South Korea, those with which India had trade pacts. Imports rose from $3.47 billion in 2016-17 to $4.52 billion in 2017-18 as global commodity prices saw an uptick. However, the largest component of this, aluminium scraps, mainly originated from China.