Official: US tax on Vietnamese honey products too high

Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam Pham Chau Giang made the statement at the Vietnam – US Trade Forum 2021 which was held both online and offline on December 7.

Giang expressed her hope that via the dialogue, the US will consider the fair use of data to promote trade between Vietnam and the US. The forum was held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi and the US – ASEAN Business Council.

Recently, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced a preliminary anti-dumping tax of 412.49% on honey products imported from Vietnam, doubling the rate of 207% initially proposed by the American Honey Producers’ Association.

Honey from four other countries, including Brazil, India, Ukraine and Argentina, are also subject to the tax. However, Vietnamese honey products suffer the highest rate.

Giang said it is the first time the Vietnamese farm produce sector has been subject to such a high tax rate, though Vietnamese beekeepers have provided sufficient information for relevant US agencies. She added that the DOC used data in a biased and unfair manner for Vietnamese enterprises.

Chairman of the Vietnam Beekeepers’ Association Dinh Quyet Tam said with such a high tax rate, no one will be able to export honey products to the US as it will cause loss, affecting the entire Vietnamese beekeeping community.

He called on the US Government and the DOC would reconsider the decision as between now and April 8, 2022, the DOC will continue collecting feedback from stakeholders and issue the final decision.