(Yicai Global) Feb. 5 -- Preliminary evidence and information collected by China's commerce ministry shows that US companies have extensively dumped sorghum in China at prices below the product's reasonable value, and thus the ministry has decided to initiate an anti-dumping investigation of sorghum imported from the US, the ministry said in a statement yesterday.

US sorghum imports have substantially increased in the Chinese market amid continuing price cuts, undercutting similar Chinese products, so their commercial performance has suffered, per the statement.

The dumping investigation period runs from Nov. 1, 2016 to Oct. 31, 2017, and the industry injury investigation period is from Jan. 1, 2013 to Oct. 31, 2017. The anti-dumping probe started yesterday and will end prior to Feb. 4, 2019, but may extend to Aug. 4, 2019 under exceptional circumstances, the statement noted. Sorghum is used primarily as animal feed, but in China is also widely used to make liquor.