Vedanta Chairperson Anil Agarwal has reportedly called for imposing a 12 per cent safeguard duty on aluminium imports into India, similar to the one recently applied to steel. According to Agarwal, such a measure is essential to protect the domestic aluminium industry from a surge in cheap imports.
In April, the Indian government introduced a safeguard duty on steel imports for 200 days, aimed at protecting local producers from an influx of low-quality steel. The move targets explicitly imports priced below the global benchmark.
Agarwal is now urging the government to implement a similar safeguard on aluminium, arguing that India, a rapidly growing economy, is increasingly vulnerable to cheap imports. He pointed out that, with the United States no longer a viable market due to its 25 per cent blanket tariff on aluminium and steel imports, exporting countries will likely shift their focus to emerging markets like India.