[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