CITA ADDRESSES SHORT SUPPLY TEXTILE, APPAREL PROVISIONS

CITA ADDRESSES SHORT SUPPLY TEXTILE, APPAREL PROVISIONS    The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has set procedures for implementing provisions of the Trade and Development Act of 2000, which provides quota- and duty-free treatment for qualifying textiles and apparel products from designated Caribbean and sub-Saharan African countries.
   The provisions, which took effect Tuesday, authorize quota-and duty-free treatment for apparel articles that are both cut and sewn or otherwise assembled in one or more beneficiary countries from fabric or yarn not formed in the United States or a beneficiary country, provided the president has determined that such yarns or fabric cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. The president has delegated CITA to determine whether yarns or fabrics and be delivered in a timely manner under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA).
   The public is invited to comment on the procedures. For information, contact Philip J. Martello, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202) 482-3400.