NTC imposes provisional anti-dumping duties on Soda Ash

Topline Pakistan Research has released a special report on Pakistan Chemical – NTC Imposes Provisional Anti-Dumping Duties on Soda Ash. Recalled here that the National Tariff Commission (NTC) has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on imports of Soda Ash (Disodium Carbonate) originating from Turkiye and Kenya after concluding, on a preliminary basis, that these imports were being dumped into Pakistan and had caused material injury to the local industry.

The investigation was initiated on July 18, 2025, after two key domestic soda ash producers, including Lucky Core Industries Limited (LCI) (Soda ash capacity: 560k tons/annum) and Olympia Chemical Limited (Soda ash capacity: 306k tons/annum), filed an application. The product under investigation (PCT Code 2836.2000) is a critical input for glass, detergents, chemicals, paper, metallurgy, and purification plants.

Pakistan’s soda ash market is led by LCI (~60%), Olympia (~30%), and ~10% in imports.

Based on the investigation period covering FY22-FY25 for injury and FY24-FY25 for dumping, the NTC observed higher import volumes, price undercutting, price depression, declining market share, lower capacity utilisation, and pressure on the profitability of the domestic industry.

Accordingly, the NTC has imposed provisional anti-dumping duties for a period of four months, 5.58% on most Turkish exporters, 3.49% on selected Turkish producers, and 12.54% on all exporters from Kenya.

Furthermore, these provisional anti-dumping duties are waived for the following imports, including those used as inputs for export-oriented products and those used in foreign grant-in-aid projects or covered under applicable schemes.

Note that a previous anti-dumping investigation initiated in 2021 against soda ash imports from Turkiye, based on a petition by Lucky Core and Olympia Chemical, was terminated by the NTC in 2022, and no duties were imposed at that time.

LCI’s soda ash business contributed ~30% of the value. During FY25, LCI soda ash business dropped by 15% YoY. Wherein, the gross margins dropped to 23% from 31% in FY22, while the overall LCI gross margins remained almost flat at 19% in FY25. This reflects the dumping-related hit to LCI’s soda ash business during the period when NTC named an injury.

§ The duties could provide structural support to Pakistan’s soda ash industry over the medium term. However, any exemption for export-oriented users and the final duty rates will remain key variables to watch.