A delegation of Members of Parliament has appealed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to take action against the recent recommendation of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) to impose Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD) on Viscose Staple Fiber (VSF).

The delegation, accompanied by former MP Anand Bhaskar Rapolu, said that domestic supplies were not sufficient to meet the demand for viscose fibre. When downstream industries import VSF, they are able to get the raw material at a competitive price. He said re-imposition of ADD on VSF would increase the cost of imported fiber by up to 28 per cent, which would affect weavers.

Mr. Rapolu said that viscose is poor people’s silk and cotton blended with viscose is the future. Hence, there was a need for a level playing field, he said.