Thailand's Ministry of Commerce is preparing to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization ( WTO) regarding an anti-dumping duty collected by the European Union (EU) on Thai canned sweet corn, Commerce Minister Krirkkrai Jirapaet said Wednesday.

Krirkkrai was speaking after meeting representatives of the Thai Food Processors Association to discuss the possibility to lodge the complaint with the WTO as the high EU duty was seen as obstructing exports of sweet corn by Thailand, according to Thai News Agency (TNA).

The EU imposed a preliminary 13.2 percent duty on Thai canned sweet corn on December 29 last year, forcing most EU importers to temporarily cancel their orders for the Thai product. Purchase orders from EU importers who must front money as a guarantee on imports of the product are in decline following the imposition of the anti-dumping duty.

TNA quoted Krirkkrai as saying that the EU would announce its final duty rate to be imposed on Thai canned sweet corn on June 22.

Krirkkrai said he had ordered the Ministry's Trade Negotiations Department to see whether it is possible to raise the issue at the WTO session.

Thai sweet corn has captured about 10 percent of the total market share in the EU. In 2006, Thailand exported about 36,000 tons of sweet corn valued at 1.215 billion baht (about 35.7 million U.S. dollars), down from the 42,000 tons valued at 1.345 billion baht (39.6 million dollars) it exported in 2005, the report said.

Source: Xinhua