The government of Argentina will be negotiating with the U.S. Commerce Department today in an effort to suspend antidumping duties on biodiesel exports to this country. Affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia, found in favor of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Fair Trade Coalition that biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia were being sold in the U.S. at below fair market value prices.

The Commerce Department is working on possible suspension agreements “if they ensure that injury to the domestic biodiesel industry is eliminated and that the unfair trade practices are addressed.”

“From the beginning, the U.S. biodiesel industry has expressed a willingness to work out our differences with the Government of Argentina—but the market distortion has to end. The primary issues that led to the coalition filing the case were the differential export taxes (DETs), which distort the market here in the United States, and dumped prices,” said National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) Chief Executive Officer Donnell Rehagen.

As a result of last week’s ruling, importers of Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel will be required to pay cash deposits on biodiesel imported from those countries, ranging from 54.36 to 70.05 percent for biodiesel from Argentina, and 50.71 percent for biodiesel from Indonesia, starting today.