AreaUnited States of America

Commodity GroupBiofuels

CommodityBiodiesel

Date01/11/2017

Policy CategoryTrade

Policy InstrumentImport policy - trade dispute

DescriptionAnnouced final countervailing duties for biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia.

NotesIn November 2017, the U.S. Commerce Department announced final countervailing (or anti-subsidy) duties, which will remain in place for five years. The final duties, which vary depending on the particular producer/exporter involved, have been fixed at 71–72 percent for Argentine biodiesel and 34–65 percent for Indonesian produce – partly exceeding the preliminary duties introduced in August 2017. At any rate, biodiesel imports from the two countries came to a standstill as soon as the high preliminary countervailing duties came into effect. For the final countervailing duties to come into effect, the U.S. International Trade Commission needs to confirm that the imports in question harmed U.S. producers – a decision expected to be made in December 2017.