Pure Terephthalic Acid’s imports: NTC imposes anti-dumping duties

ISLAMABAD: The National Tariff Commission (NTC) has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of Pure Terephthalic Acid (PTA) from China after concluding that dumped imports caused material injury to domestic industry.

According to a notice issued by the Commission, the investigation was initiated on August 16, 2025, following an application filed by Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited, the country’s sole PTA producer. The Commission had earlier imposed provisional duties on January 4, 2026, for a period of four months.

The Commission, in its final determination, found that PTA imports from China were being dumped in Pakistan, adversely impacting local industry through price undercutting, price suppression, and a significant increase in import volumes. The investigation also established a decline in key performance indicators of domestic industry, including market share, sales, production, profitability, capacity utilisation, and return on investment.

PTA is a key raw material used in the textile and packaging sectors, particularly in the production of polyester staple fibre (PSF), polyester filament yarn (PFY), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin.

Following its findings, the Commission has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties for a period of five years effective from January 4, 2026. The duty rates have been set at 4.17 percent for INEOS Aromatics Asia Limited/INEOS Zhuhai Chemical Co., Ltd, and 9.50 percent for Zhejiang Dushan Energy Co., Limited as well as all other exporters and producers from China.

However, the Commission has opted for a lesser duty equal to the injury margin, stating that it would be sufficient to remove the material injury caused to domestic industry.

The notice further clarified that anti-dumping duties will not apply to imports used as inputs for export-oriented products or foreign grant-in-aid projects under applicable exemption schemes.

The duties will be collected in the same manner as customs duties under the Customs Act, 1969, and will be in addition to other applicable taxes and duties.

The decision has been taken under the Anti-Dumping Duties Act, 2015 and relevant rules, with the Commission affirming that remedial measures were necessary to ensure fair competition and protect domestic PTA industry.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026