[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 225 (Friday, November 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62290-62291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30570]
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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS
Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Consultations With the
Government of Cambodia
November 17, 1997.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).
ACTION: Notice.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen L. LeGrande, 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: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as
amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as
amended.
On October 29, 1997, under Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of
1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854), the Government of the United States
requested consultations with the Government of Cambodia with respect to
cotton and man-made fiber gloves and mittens in Categories 331/631,
produced or manufactured in Cambodia.
The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no
solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of
Cambodia, the Government of the United States may later establish a
limit for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse for consumption of
cotton textile products in Categories 331/631, produced or manufactured
in Cambodia and exported during the twelve-month period which began on
October 29, 1997 and extends through October 28, 1998, at a level of
not less than 1,250,841 dozen pairs.
A statement of serious damage, actual threat of serious damage or
the exacerbation of serious damage concerning Categories 331/631
follows this notice.
Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding
the treatment of Categories 331/631 or to comment on domestic
production or availability of products included in
[[Page 62291]]
Categories 331/631 is invited to submit 10 copies of such comments or
information to Troy H. Cribb, 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 Cambodia.
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 commentary 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
implementation of an agreement 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 331/631. Should such a solution be reached in
consultations with the Government of Cambodia, 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 61 FR 66263, published on December 17, 1996).
D. Michael Hutchinson,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements.
Summary of the Statement in Support of Request for Consultations Under
Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956
Cotton and Manmade Fiber Gloves and Mittens--Category 331/631
October 1997
Import Situation and Conclusion
U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber gloves and mittens,
Category 331/631, from Cambodia surged to 1,250,841 dozen pair during
the year ending July 1997, over seven times the 176,732 dozen pair
imported in the year ending July 1996 and more than 15 times the 79,968
dozen pair imported in calendar year 1995. Imports from Cambodia were
2.6 percent of total U.S. imports of Category 331/631 in the year
ending July 1997, and were equivalent to 4.9 percent of U.S. production
of Category 331/631 in 1996.
U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber gloves and mittens,
Category 331/631, from Cambodia entered the U.S. at an average landed
duty-paid value of $3.12 per dozen pair during the first seven months
of 1997, 42 percent below the average landed duty-paid value for all
cotton and manmade fiber glove and mitten imports into the U.S., and 70
percent below the average U.S. producers' price for cotton and manmade
fiber gloves and mittens.
The sharp and substantial increase of low-valued Category 331/631
imports from Cambodia threatens to cause disruption to the U.S. cotton
and manmade fiber glove and mitten market and to the orderly flow of
trade in these products. In several instances, Cambodia's import level
for the year ending July 1997 exceeds the trade levels of WTO countries
that have quota agreements with the United States.
U.S. Production, Import Penetration, and Market Share
U.S. production of cotton and manmade fiber gloves and mittens,
Category 331/631, declined in 1996 falling to 25,424,000 dozen pair, 1
percent below the 1995 production level. Imports of Category 331/631
increased from 45,559,773 dozen pair in 1995 to 47,336,957 dozen pair
in 1996, a 4 percent increase. Imports continued to increase reaching
48,220,877 dozen pair in the year ending July 1997, 7 percent above the
same period a year earlier.
The ratio of imports to domestic production increased to 186
percent in 1996. The domestic manufacturers share of the U.S. market
for cotton and manmade fiber gloves and mittens decreased to 33 percent
in 1996.
[FR Doc. 97-30570 Filed 11-20-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F
