Dumping duties approved for Canadian spring wheat imports

Dumping duties approved for Canadian spring wheat imports    The U.S. International Trade Commission voted to approve countervailing and antidumping duties for imports of Canadian hard red spring wheat.
   Canadian wheat shipments are managed through the Canadian Wheat Board, a state trading enterprise. The CWB has been under attack in recent years from U.S. grain interests, such as the North Dakota Wheat Commission and the Wheat Export Trade Education Committee.
   In September, the Commerce Department calculated the net subsidy rate on Canadian hard red spring wheat at 5.29 percent and the dumping margin for the commodity at 8.87 percent. From July 2001 to June 2002, U.S. imports of Canadian hard spring wheat were valued at $203.6 million.
   Dumping is the import of goods at a price below the home market or a third-country price or below the cost of production. A dumping margin represents how much the fair-value price exceeds the dumped price.
   However, the ITC did not find imports of Canadian durum wheat, which is used for pasta manufacturer, injurious to U.S. growers. From July 2001 to June 2002, U.S. imports of this commodity from Canada were valued at $86.6 million.