[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 240 (Friday, December 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59583-59584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27079]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in 
Haiti Under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), as 
Amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership 
Encouragement Act (HOPE)

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION:  Notification of annual quantitative limit on imports of 
certain apparel from Haiti.

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SUMMARY: CBERA, as amended, provides duty-free treatment for certain 
apparel articles imported directly from Haiti. One of the preferences 
is known as the ``value-added'' provision, which requires that apparel 
meet a minimum threshold percentage of value added in Haiti, the United 
States, and/or certain beneficiary countries. The provision is subject 
to a quantitative limitation, which is calculated as a percentage of 
total apparel imports into the United States for each 12-month annual 
period. For the annual period from December 20, 2017 through December 
19, 2018, the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment 
under the value-added provision is 361,603,399 square meters 
equivalent.

DATES: December 20, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Laurie Mease, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-3400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Authority: Section 213A of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery 
Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a) (``CBERA''), as amended; and as implemented by 
Presidential Proc. No. 8114, 72 FR 13655 (March 22, 2007), and No. 
8596, 75 FR 68153 (November 4, 2010).
    Background: Section 213A(b)(1)(B) of CBERA, as amended (19 U.S.C. 
2703a(b)(1)(B)), outlines the requirements for certain apparel articles 
imported directly from Haiti to qualify for duty-free treatment under a 
``value-added'' provision. In order to qualify for duty-free treatment, 
apparel articles must be wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape, in Haiti 
from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-
shape, and yarns, as long as the sum of the cost or value of materials 
produced in Haiti or one or more beneficiary countries, as described in 
CBERA, as amended, or any combination thereof, plus the direct

[[Page 59584]]

costs of processing operations performed in Haiti or one or more 
beneficiary countries, as described in CBERA, as amended, or any 
combination thereof, is not less than an applicable percentage of the 
declared customs value of such apparel articles. Pursuant to CBERA, as 
amended, the applicable percentage for the period December 20, 2017 
through December 19, 2018, is 60 percent.
    For every twelve-month period following the effective date of 
CBERA, as amended, duty-free treatment under the value-added provision 
is subject to a quantitative limitation. CBERA, as amended, provides 
that the quantitative limitation will be recalculated for each 
subsequent 12 month period. Section 213A (b)(1)(C) of CBERA, as amended 
(19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)(1)(C)), requires that, for the twelve-month period 
beginning on December 20, 2017, the quantitative limitation for 
qualifying apparel imported from Haiti under the value-added provision 
will be an amount equivalent to 1.25 percent of the aggregate square 
meter equivalent of all apparel articles imported into the United 
States in the most recent 12-month period for which data are available.
    The aggregate square meters equivalent of all apparel articles 
imported into the United States is derived from the set of Harmonized 
System lines listed in the Annex to the World Trade Organization 
Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (``ATC''), and the conversion 
factors for units of measure into square meter equivalents used by the 
United States in implementing the ATC.
    For purposes of this notice, the most recent 12-month period for 
which data are available as of December 20, 2017 is the 12-month period 
ending on October 31, 2017.
    Therefore, for the one-year period beginning on December 20, 2017 
and extending through December 19, 2018, the quantity of imports 
eligible for preferential treatment under the value-added provision is 
361,603,399 square meters equivalent. Apparel articles entered in 
excess of these quantities will be subject to otherwise applicable 
tariffs.

    Dated: December 11, 2017.
Terry Labat,
Senior Advisor, performing the Non-Exclusive Duties of the Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials.
[FR Doc. 2017-27079 Filed 12-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P