Commerce finds dumping of Spanish olive imports

The Coalition for Fair Trade in Ripe Olives, whose individual members are Bell-Carter Foods and Musco Family Olive Co., both of California, was the petitioner for the antidumping investigation on ripe olive imports from Spain.    The U.S. Commerce Department has preliminary determined that imports of ripe olives from Spain are being dumped on the U.S. market.
   Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells a product in the U.S. market at less than fair value.
   During its antidumping investigation, Commerce preliminarily found that Aceitunas Guadalquivir, Agro Sevilla Aceitunas S.COOP Andalusia, and Angel Camacho Alimentacion were dumping ripe olives on the U.S. market at dumping margins of 16.8 percent, 14.64 percent and 19.73 percent, respectively. The department established a preliminary dumping margin of 17.13 percent for all other Spanish ripe olive producers and exporters.
   As a result of its determination, Commerce will instruct Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits on ripe olives imports from Spain based on these preliminary rates.
   The Coalition for Fair Trade in Ripe Olives, whose individual members are Bell-Carter Foods and Musco Family Olive Co., both of California, was the petitioner for the antidumping investigation.
   Commerce estimated that imports of ripe olives from Spain in 2016 were valued at $70.9 million.
   Meanwhile, Commerce is scheduled to announce its final determination for this antidumping investigation by June 5. If the department makes an affirmative final determination, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes an affirmative final determination that imports of ripe olives from Spain harm domestic industry, Commerce will issue an antidumping order. If either Commerce’s or the ITC’s final determination are negative, no antidumping order will be issued.