ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates has lodged a trade complaint at theWorld Trade Organization in Geneva on Monday to challenge Pakistan’s dutieson biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, used in food packaging, aWTO filing showed on Monday, reports an international wire agency.
The UAE said the anti-dumping duties, imposed on UAE, China, Oman and SaudiArabia, from April 2015 and extended in December 2016, broke WTO rules.Pakistan has 60 days to settle the dispute, after which the UAE could askthe WTO to adjudicate.
The Pakistani move was apparently aimed at protecting the BOPP producinglocal industrialists. The major companies involved in BOPP production areless than half a dozen with the Tri-Pack Films Limited (Tri-Pack) andMacPac Films Limited being leader of the pack, along with Astro PlasticsPrivate Limited Industries Limited.
While MacPac Films Limited claims to be the pioneer of BOPP films inPakistan, it is Tri-Pack, a public limited company which is a joint venturebetween Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan and Packages Limited of Pakistanthat is the major producer. Incorporated in Pakistan in 1993 and commencingcommercial production in 1995, with a paid-up capital of Rs300 million.It’s net revenue for the first half of 2017 was Rs6.1 billion.