[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-20052]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 16, 1994]


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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

 

Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations 
with the Government of Nepal on Certain Cotton and Man-Made Fiber 
Textile Products

August 10, 1994.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Notice.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Tallarico, International 
Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-4212. For information on categories for which 
consultations have been requested, call (202) 482-3740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Authority: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; 
section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 
1854).

    On July 29, 1994, under the terms of Section 204 of the 
Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended, the Government of the United 
States requested consultations with the Government of Nepal with 
respect to cotton and man-made fiber dresses in Categories 336/636, 
produced or manufactured in Nepal.
    The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no 
solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of Nepal, 
the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements may later 
establish a limit for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for 
consumption of cotton and man-made fiber textile products in Categories 
336/636, produced or manufactured in Nepal and exported during the 
twelve-month period which began on July 29, 1994 and extends through 
July 28, 1995, at a level of not less than 146,656 dozen.
    A summary market statement concerning Categories 336/636 follows 
this notice.
    Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding 
the treatment of Categories 336/636, or to comment on domestic 
production or availability of products included in Categories 336/636, 
is invited to submit 10 copies of such comments or information to Rita 
D. Hayes, Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230; ATTN: 
Helen L. LeGrande. The comments received will be considered in the 
context of the consultations with the Government of Nepal.
    Because the exact timing of the consultations is not yet certain, 
comments should be submitted promptly. Comments or information 
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public 
inspection in the Office of Textiles and Apparel, room H3100, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC.
    Further comments may be invited regarding particular comments or 
information received from the public which the Committee for the 
Implementation of Textile Agreements considers appropriate for further 
consideration.
    The solicitation of comments regarding any aspect of the agreement 
or the implementation thereof is not a waiver in any respect of the 
exemption contained in 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(1) relating to matters which 
constitute ``a foreign affairs function of the United States.''
    The United States remains committed to finding a solution 
concerning Categories 336/636. Should such a solution be reached in 
consultations with the Government of Nepal, further notice will be 
published in the Federal Register.
    A description of the textile and apparel categories in terms of HTS 
numbers is available in the CORRELATION: Textile and Apparel Categories 
with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (see Federal 
Register notice 58 FR 62645, published on November 29, 1993).
Rita D. Hayes,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Market Statement--Nepal
Category 336/636--Cotton and Manmade Fiber Dresses
July 1994
Import Situation and Conclusion
    U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber dresses, Category 336/636, 
from Nepal reached 174,621 dozen during the year ending May 1994, three 
times the 58,596 dozen shipped during the year ending May 1993. During 
the first five months of 1994, imports of Category 336/636 from Nepal 
surged to 138,555 dozen, more than triple the 42,801 dozen imported 
during the same period in 1993 and nearly double Nepal's total calendar 
year 1993 level.
    The sharp and substantial increase of Category 336/636 imports from 
Nepal is disrupting the U.S. market for cotton and manmade fiber 
dresses.
U.S. Production, Import Penetration and Market Share
    U.S. production of cotton and manmade fiber dresses, Category 336/
636, fell from 15,290,000 dozen in 1989 to 12,710,000 dozen in 1993, a 
decrease of 17 percent. In contrast, U.S. imports of cotton and manmade 
fiber dresses, Category 336/636, increased from 5,891,000 dozen in 1989 
to 6,312,000 dozen in 1993, a 7 percent increase. U.S. imports in 
Category 336/636 are surging in 1994, increasing 33 percent in the 
first five months of 1994 over the January-May 1993 level.
    The ratio of imports to domestic production increased from 39 
percent in 1989 to 50 percent in 1993. The domestic manufacturers' 
share of the cotton and manmade fiber dress market declined from 72 
percent in 1989 to 67 percent in 1993, a decline of 5 percentage 
points.
Duty-Paid Value and U.S. Producers' Price
    Approximately 84 percent of Category 336/636 imports from Nepal 
during the year ending May 1994 entered the U.S. under HTSUSA 
6204.42.3050--Women's woven cotton dresses, other than corduroy; and 
HTSUSA 6204.44.4010--Women's woven dresses of artificial fibers, 
containing less than 36 percent wool or fine animal hair by weight. 
These dresses entered the U.S. at landed duty-paid values below U.S. 
producers' prices for comparable dresses.
[FR Doc. 94-20052 Filed 8-15-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F