[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 140 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44140-44141]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15730]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Determination Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Trade Representative has determined that Mali has
adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent the
unlawful transshipment of textile and apparel articles and the use of
counterfeit documents in connection with the shipment of such articles,
and has implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress
towards implementing and following, the custom procedures required by
the
[[Page 44141]]
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Therefore, imports of
eligible products from Mali qualify for the textile and apparel
benefits provided under the AGOA.
DATES: This notice is applicable August 4, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Constance Hamilton, Assistant United
States Trade Representative for Africa at
[email protected] or (202) 395-9514.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AGOA (Title I of the Trade and
Development Act of 2000, Pub. L. 106-200, as amended) provides
preferential tariff treatment for imports of certain textile and
apparel products of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries. The
textile and apparel trade benefits under the AGOA are available to
imports of eligible products from countries that the President
designates as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, provided that
these countries: (1) Have adopted an effective visa system and related
procedures to prevent the unlawful transshipment of textile and apparel
articles and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with
shipment of such articles, and (2) have implemented and follow, or are
making substantial progress towards implementing and following, certain
customs procedures that assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection in
verifying the origin of the products.
In Proclamation 9072 dated December 23, 2013, the President
designated Mali as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country and in
Proclamation 9555 of October 25, 2019, proclaimed, for the purposes of
section 112(c) of the AGOA, that Mali should be considered a lesser
developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African country.
In Proclamation 7350 of October 2, 2000, the President authorized
the U.S. Trade Representative to perform the function of determining
whether eligible sub-Saharan countries have met the two requirements
described above. The President directed the U.S. Trade Representative
to announce determinations in the Federal Register and to implement
them through modifications in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTSUS).
Based on the actions Mali has taken, the U.S. Trade Representative
has determined that Mali has satisfied the two requirements for
eligibility for textile and apparel benefits under the AGOA. No
modifications to the HTSUS are necessary in order to implement this
determination. Imports claiming preferential tariff treatment under the
AGOA for entries of textile and apparel articles should ensure that
those entries meet the applicable visa requirements. See Visa
Requirements Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, 66 FR 7837
(January 25, 2001).
Edward Gresser,
Chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-15730 Filed 7-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F0-P