$409k in CDSOA Funds for Shrimp Industry in FY2020

Last month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published information regarding the annual distribution under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. In total, CBP reports that $409,298.83 in antidumping duties collected on shrimp imports was made available for distribution this year. This represents a substantial increase from the $135,836.19 in antidumping duties collected on shrimp imports in FY2019 that were made available for distribution last year.

Only antidumping duties collected on imports of shrimp entered into the country before October 1, 2007 are distributed through the CDSOA program. All antidumping duties collected on imports of shrimp entered on or after October 1, 2007 are deposited in the U.S. Treasury and are not subsequently distributed through the CDSOA program.

The table below provides a summary of CDSOA funds made available for distribution in FY2020 by individual antidumping duty order on shrimp imports:

In total, CBP reported distributing roughly $57.9 million under the CDSOA program in FY2020. Virtually all of those funds, totaling $56.4 million, were distributed in relation to just seven antidumping duty orders: fresh garlic from China ($31.2 million); preserved mushrooms from China ($14.2 million); fish fillets from Vietnam ($4.8 million); ironing tables from China ($2.2 million); crawfish tail meat from China ($2.1 million); wax candles from China ($1.2 million); and honey from China ($0.7 million).

Per CBP’s reporting, over the last fifteen years, over $269 million in antidumping duties have been distributed to the shrimp industry through CDSOA. The total CDSOA distributions of antidumping duties collected on shrimp imports in FY2020 was the largest since FY2017. The total amount of duties collected on shrimp imports and distributed through CDSOA is summarized in the chart below:

For the first time since FY2015, CBP reported that there were “uncollected” antidumping duties on shrimp imports in FY2020 totaling $108,066.04. Antidumping duties on shrimp from Thailand led the way with a reported $57,791.12 going uncollected, followed by antidumping duties on shrimp from China at $27,682.73, and then antidumping duties on shrimp from Vietnam at $22,592.19.

Although funds will continue to be distributed, in diminishing amounts, under the CDSOA program until all litigation regarding shrimp import entries made before October 1, 2007 is resolved and final duties are collected by CBP, virtually all of the funds held in CDSOA clearing account balances related to the antidumping duty orders on shrimp have now been exhausted.   CBP reports that the amount held in “clearing account balances” related to the shrimp antidumping duty orders is now just $189,683.37, down from $667,359.76 in FY2019.