New Delhi - The Commerce Ministry's investigation arm DGTR has "suo-motu" initiated probes against alleged dumping of three products, including unframed glass mirrors and fasteners, by Chinese companies as the authority seeks to guard MSME units against cheap imports from the neighbouring country. Usually, anti-dumping investigations are initiated based on an application filed by domestic producers, but since the fragmented industries did not have the know-how of the procedures involved in the trade remedy probe, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has undertaken the exercise to investigate the matter on its own initiative.

According to three separate notifications, the DGTR said that it is probing alleged dumping of telescopic channel drawer, unframed glass mirror and fasteners.The move is aimed at granting much-needed protection to the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) producers against dumped goods from China.

"This is a giant leap forward from DGTR's first suo-motu investigation in 2000 on dry batteries from China wherein the duties were imposed for five years. This is also the first occasion where India's anti-dumping watchdog has initiated three suo-motu investigations at one go against China," a senior government official said.

The directorate had received information that Indian producers of these three products were facing stiff competition from unfairly priced Chinese imports.