BEIJING -- Four major Chinese solar-grade polysilicon makers, comprising 80 percent of the country's market share, have urged the government to start anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probes on imported raw materials for manufacturing solar products from the European Union.

According to the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, the volume of imported polysilicon products from the EU surged 30.8 percent year-on-year to 9,300 tons in the first half of 2012, but the price plummeted 47.5 percent to $27.5 per ton. Most imports came from Germany.

"The price is significantly lower than normal. Such imports have seriously harmed the interests of China's polysilicon sector, " Zhao Jiasheng, head of the association, told Xinhua Friday.

China's Ministry of Commerce announced on July 20 that it will start anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations on solar-grade polysilicon imported from the United States and start anti-dumping investigation on solar-grade polysilicon imported from the Republic of Korea.

Lu Jinbiao, deputy head of Jiangsu Zhongneng Polysilicon Technology Development Co Ltd, said if China fails to launch similar investigations on imports from the EU, the effects of investigations on American and Korean imports will be limited.

Lu, whose company is one of the four major Chinese polysilicon makers, said the Ministry of Commerce has received and is studying their request. The four companies also urged the government to levy tariffs on cheap polysilicon products that have already been imported into the country from the United States and the ROK, Lu added.