New York, June 08: Demanding protection for its products, the American specialty steel industry has released statistics which, it says, provide "further evidence" that Indian producers of steel bar, angle, rod and wire are flooding the US markets to the detriment of the local producers. The Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA), which represents producers in the United States, in a statement said India was flooding the market in "direct contradiction" to assurance given by the Indian government that its exports would not disrupt the American market.

The Bush Administration excluded these products from the steel import relief programme announced in March 2002 which discourages foreign imports through a variety of measures.
Since then, the US industry has been confronted with import surges from India that have caused turmoil in the US market and contributed to the recent announcement of Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by SSINA member Slater Steels Inc, the statement said.
The SSINA said it has made several requests to the Bush Administration to include stainless steel bar, angle, rod and wire in the import relief programme. Bureau Report