Centre assures Keralam of anti-dumping duty on Chinese titanium dioxide

The Union government has assured that necessary steps will be taken to impose anti-dumping duty on the import of titanium dioxide from China, said N.K. Premachandran, MP. The assurance was given following discussions and the submission of a memorandum to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Revenue Secretary Arvind Srivastava in New Delhi, alongside representatives of various trade unions.

The domestic titanium dioxide industry is facing a severe crisis due to low-priced imports from China, which has significantly impacted public sector undertakings in Keralam including Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) and Travancore Titanium Products Limited (TTPL).

“Official records indicate that the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) had initially issued its final findings on the titanium dioxide import investigation on February 12, 2025. Following a court verdict, the matter went into remand proceedings, and the DGTR subsequently completed these procedures to issue a fresh set of final findings on August 3, 2026. Given these developments, it has become imperative to swiftly complete the necessary follow-up actions based on the DGTR’s findings and urgently issue a gazette notification imposing the anti-dumping duty,” said the MP. 

The ongoing import pressure has adversely affected domestic manufacturers like KMML in terms of production, capacity utilisation, market share, and overall financial stability. With KMML providing direct and indirect employment to approximately 3,000 people, the crisis at the company directly threatens the livelihoods of numerous families.

While the titanium dioxide manufacturing sector holds immense potential for further investment and development, including expansion plans under consideration for KMML, advancing such investments remains challenging under current market conditions. “To ensure a level playing field for domestic producers, safeguarding the survival of Keralam’s public sector undertakings and protecting jobs is important. We have made a strong appeal to the Union government to implement the anti-dumping duty on Chinese titanium dioxide imports at the earliest, in accordance with the DGTR’s final findings,” he added.