[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19890-19891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9903]
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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations
With Colombia on Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Underwear
April 17, 1995.
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 March 29, 1995, 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 Colombia with
respect to cotton and man-made fiber underwear in Categories 352/652,
produced or manufactured in Colombia.
The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no
solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of
Colombia, 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 352/652, produced or manufactured in Colombia and exported
during the twelve-month period which began on March 29, 1995 and
extends through March 28, 1996, at a level of not less than 1,509,880
dozen.
A statement of serious damage concerning Categories 352/652 follows
this notice.
Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding
the treatment of Categories 352/652, or to comment on domestic
production or availability of products included in Categories 352/652,
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 Colombia.
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 352/652. Should such a solution be reached in
consultations with the Government of Colombia, 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 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994).
Rita D. Hayes,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.
Statement of Serious Damage
Colombia
Cotton and Manmade Fiber Underwear
Category 352/652
Import Situation and Conclusion
U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber underwear, Category 352/
652, from Colombia reached 1,509,880 dozen in 1994, 46 percent above
the 1,032,210 dozen imported in 1993 and 160 percent above its 1992
level. Imports from Colombia were 1.6 percent of total U.S. imports of
Category 352/652 in 1994, and were equivalent to nearly 1 percent of
U.S. production of Category 352/652 in the year ending September 1994.
U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber underwear, from Colombia
in Category 352/652, entered the U.S. at an average landed duty-paid
value of $13.79 per dozen, 54 percent below U.S. producers' average
price for cotton and manmade fiber underwear. The sharp and substantial
increase of low priced imports from Colombia is causing serious damage
to the U.S. domestic industry producing cotton and manmade fiber
underwear.
U.S. Production, Import Penetration, and Market Share
U.S. production of cotton and manmade fiber underwear, Category
352/652, declined from 175,542,000 dozen in 1992 to 168,802,000 dozen
in 1993, a decline of 4 percent. Production continued to decline in
1994, falling to 126,962,000 dozen during the first nine months of
1994, 4 percent below January-September 1993 production level. In
contrast imports of Category 352/652 surged from 65,507,000 dozen in
1992 to 79,962,000 dozen in 1993, a 22 percent increase. Cotton and
manmade fiber underwear, Category 352/652, imports continued to
increase in 1994, reaching 97,375,000 dozen, 22 percent above the 1993
level and 49 percent above the level imported in 1992.
The ratio of imports to domestic production increased from 37
percent in 1992 to 47 percent in 1993, and reached 54 percent during
January-September 1994. The share of this market held by domestic
manufacturers fell from 73 percent in 1992 to 68 percent in 1993, a
decline of five percentage points. The [[Page 19891]] domestic market
share dropped to 65 percent during the first nine months of 1994.
[FR Doc. 95-9903 Filed 4-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F