Kosovo sets fee for import of flour from Serbia (Document)

With this decision The MTI instructed Kosovo Customs to take all measures to protect flour producers by applying the fee of 0.04 cents.

This decision has been made following the company's complaint to local producers “M& Silosi” and the Kosovo Millian Association, where it has been found that import of flour from Serbia is being imported to Kosovo at lower prices than market prices, below production costs, respectively, jeopardising the general flour industry in Kosovo.

In the MTI decision, which Kosovo Prees's editorial record has secured, it is said that this decision is based on the memorandum's interpretation of the Trade Department and Commission for the import assessment of measures on 19.10.2017, where Kosovo Customs is directed to take all measures to protect flour producers by applying the fee to a measure of 0.04 cents. Also, the decision says the ministry will consistently deliver the effect of these measures and, depending on the movement in the market, will act as needed.

Similarly, KosovaPress has provided the comment on the recommendation for the final measure regarding the import of flour imported from the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Kosovo, where it says: “to the MTI Trade Department, on April 07th 2017, has been addressed by the company's demand for flour production “SIlosi<2>, which was initiated as well by the Mtili Association of Kosovo on June 2nd 2017, which is specifically protected by local production, with suspicion that Serbia's lower price value than the market's price, where it is generally jeopardised by UN-based flour industry in Kosovo, with a recommendation from the country's sub-compentainant, and the country's sub-commention industry.

Also, in this document on which the decision is based, it is said that the Trade Department team in co-operation with the Commission for the assessment of exclusive duties on imports has completed a detailed research on the paper in question, with the aim of identifying Serbia's real import state of flour and in order to ascertain whether there are dupings on this product. To that end, the research team based on the law on anti-dumping measures and counter-balancing measures has used two methods of identifying the problem. Under one, the method of production costs and the method of real market price value.

Also, among other things in Memom, research conducted on the prices declared in Kosovo's import of flour from Serbia reportedly shows that the average rate declared is 0.19 cents per kilogram (based on the real cost of flour production, proves that the export price from Serbia is lower than the cost of production in Kosovo for about 31.80 per cent.

This memo says that on September 22nd of this year the Department of Commerce has forwarded to Serbia's Ministry of Commerce, announcing the launch of official investigations and questionnaire with the aim of obtaining information, but the Serbian side has not voiced readiness for co-operation for reasons already known.

Also, it is said that in 2016, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture of Kosovo, 80.806,3 hectares were planted with a production of 358,017 tons, where average productivity for one hectares was 4.4t/ha. Compared to 2015, there's less surface for 1,247.7 ha.