[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 38547-38549] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-18705] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [A-475-818] Notice of Antidumping Duty Order and Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Certain Pasta From Italy AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. EFFECTIVE DATE: July 24, 1996. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Brinkmann at (202) 482-5288, Jennifer Katt at (202) 482-0498, or Greg Thompson (202) 482-3003, Office of Antidumping/Countervailing Duty Enforcement, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230. Applicable Statute and Regulations Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the statute are references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act of 1930 by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA). Amended Final Determination In accordance with section 735(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), on June 3, 1996, the Department made its final determination that certain pasta (pasta) from Italy is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (61 FR 30287 (June 14, 1996)). Subsequent to the final determination, we received submissions, timely filed pursuant to 19 CFR 353.28(b), from La Molisana Industrie Alimentari S.p.A. (La Molisana), Pastificio Fratelli Pagani S.p.A. (Pagani), and De Matteis Agroalimentare S.p.A. (De Matteis), alleging ministerial errors in the Department's final determination for these respondents. We also received submissions from Borden Inc., Hershey Foods Corp., and Gooch Foods, Inc. (collectively the petitioners) alleging ministerial errors in the Department's final determination for Arrighi S.p.A. Industrie Alimentari (Arrighi) and its affiliate, Italpasta S.p.A. (Italpasta), Delverde, SrL (Delverde) including its affiliate Tamma Industrie Alimentari di Capitanata, SrL (Tamma), and Pagani. The parties filed comments to the [[Page 38548]] clerical error allegations on June 21, 27, and July 1, 1996. We determine, in accordance with 19 CFR 353.28(d), that ministerial errors were made in our margin calculations for Arrighi and Pagani. Specifically, our calculation of Arrighi's cost of production failed to fully capture the semolina cost of affiliated suppliers. In the case of Pagani, our calculation incorrectly included the amount reported in the field old discount (OLDDISU) when calculating U.S. credit and discount expenses, and also understated certain general administrative expenses. Additionally, in preparing the recalculation for the ministerial error described above, we noted two minor inadvertent errors in the programming for Pagani which were not noted by either the petitioners or the respondents. For a detailed discussion of the above-cited ministerial errors and the Department's analysis, see Memorandum from Case Analysts to Barbara R. Stafford, dated July 8, 1996. In accordance with 19 CFR 353.28(c), we are amending the final determination of the antidumping duty investigation of pasta from Italy to correct these ministerial errors. The revised final weighted-average dumping margins are as follows: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manufacturer/producer/ exporter Original margin percentage Revised margin percentage ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arrighi/Italpasta........... 20.24................................... 21.34 De Cecco.................... 46.67 (facts available)................. 46.67 (facts available) De Matteis.................. 0.67 (de minimis)....................... 0.67 (de minimis) Delverde/Tamma.............. 2.80.................................... 2.80 La Molisana................. 14.78................................... 14.78 Liguori..................... 12.41................................... 12.41 Pagani...................... 12.90................................... 18.30 All Others.................. 11.21................................... 12.09 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scope of Order The scope of this order consists of certain non-egg dry pasta in packages of five pounds (or 2.27 kilograms) or less, whether or not enriched or fortified or containing milk or other optional ingredients such as chopped vegetables, vegetable purees, milk, gluten, diastases, vitamins, coloring and flavorings, and up to two percent egg white. The pasta covered by this scope is typically sold in the retail market, in fiberboard or cardboard cartons or polyethylene or polypropylene bags, of varying dimensions. Excluded from the scope of this order are refrigerated, frozen, or canned pastas, as well as all forms of egg pasta, with the exception of non-egg dry pasta containing up to two percent egg white. Also excluded are imports of organic pasta from Italy that are accompanied by the appropriate certificate issued by the Associazione Marchigiana Agricultura Biologica (AMAB) or by Bioagricoop scrl. On July 9, 1996, after the date of our final antidumping duty determination, Euro-USA Trading Co., Inc., of Pawcatuck, CT, submitted materials to the Department supporting its request for an exclusion for pasta certified to be ``organic pasta.'' Among the documents submitted are a decree from the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry authorizing Bioagricoop scrl to certify foodstuffs as organic for the implementation of EEC Regulation 2029/91. Also submitted is a letter (with an accompanying translation into English) from the Director of Controls of Processing and Marketing Firms at Bioargricoop stating that the organization will take responsibility for its organic pasta certificates and will supply the necessary documentation to U.S. authorities. On this basis, imports of organic pasta from Italy that are accompanied by the appropriate certificate issued by Bioagricoop scrl are excluded from the scope of this order. The merchandise under order is currently classifiable under items 1902.19.20 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, our written description of the scope of this investigation is dispositive. Antidumping Duty Order On July 17, 1996, in accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) notified the Department that the U.S. pasta industry is materially injured by imports of pasta from Italy. Therefore, in accordance with section 736 of the Act, the Department will direct United States Customs officers to assess, upon further advice by the administering authority pursuant to section 736(a)(1) of the Act, antidumping duties equal to the amount by which the normal value of the merchandise exceeds the export price or constructed export price for all entries of pasta from Italy. These antidumping duties will be assessed on all unliquidated entries of pasta from Italy entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after January 19, 1996, the date on which the Department published its preliminary determination notice in the Federal Register (61 FR 1347). On or after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register, U.S. Customs officers must require, at the same time as importers would normally deposit estimated duties, the following cash deposits for the subject merchandise: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Revised Manufacturer/producer/exporter margin percentage ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arrighi/Italpasta........................................... 21.34 De Cecco.................................................... 46.67 De Matteis.................................................. 0.00 Delverde/Tamma.............................................. 2.80 La Molisana................................................. 14.78 Liguori..................................................... 12.41 Pagani...................................................... 18.30 All Others.................................................. 12.09 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Article VI (5) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947) prohibits assessing dumping duties on the portion of the margin attributable to an export subsidy. In this case, the product under investigation is subject to a countervailing duty investigation (see Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination: Certain Pasta from Italy (61 FR 30288 (June 14, 1996)). Therefore, for all entries of pasta from Italy, entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption made on or after the date on which the order in the companion countervailing duty investigation is published in the Federal Register, we will request for duty deposit purposes, that United States Customs deduct the portion of the margin attributable to the export subsidy from the countervailing duty investigation. The cash deposit rates for antidumping purposes will be as follows: [[Page 38549]] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cash Manufacturer/producer/exporter deposit rate ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arrighi/Italpasta.............................................. 19.09 De Cecco....................................................... 46.67 De Matteis..................................................... 0.00 Delverde/Tamma................................................. 1.68 La Molisana.................................................... 14.73 Liguori........................................................ 12.41 Pagani......................................................... 18.30 All Others..................................................... 11.26 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This notice constitutes the antidumping duty order with respect to pasta from Italy, pursuant to section 736(a) of the Act. Interested parties may contact the Central Records Unit, Room B-099 of the Main Commerce Building, for copies of an updated list of antidumping duty orders currently in effect. This order is published pursuant to section 736(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1673e (a)) and 19 CFR 353.21. Dated: July 17, 1996. Robert S. LaRussa, Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration. [FR Doc. 96-18705 Filed 7-23-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P