[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74156-74157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29169]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Determinations under the African Growth and Opportunity Act

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice .

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SUMMARY: The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has determined 
that Guinea and Madagascar have each adopted effective visa systems and 
related procedures to prevent 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 toward implementing and following, the 
customs procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act 
(AGOA). Therefore, as specified in this

[[Page 74157]]

notice, imports of eligible products from Guinea and Madagascar qualify 
for the textile and apparel benefits provided for under AGOA.

DATES: Effective Date: December 15, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Constance Hamilton, Deputy Assistant 
U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Office of the United States. 
Trade Representative, at (202) 395-9514.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AGOA (Title I of the Trade and 
Development Act of 2000, Public Law 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 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 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 toward implementing and following, certain 
customs procedures that assist the Customs Service in verifying the 
origin of the products. In Proclamation 8741 (October 25, 2011) the 
President designated Guinea as a ``beneficiary sub-Saharan Africa 
country'' and proclaimed that, for purposes of section 112(c) of the 
AGOA, Guinea shall be considered a lesser developed beneficiary sub-
Saharan African country. In Proclamation 9145 (June 26, 2014), the 
President similarly designated Madagascar as a ``beneficiary sub-
Saharan Africa country'' and, for purposes of section 112(c) of the 
AGOA, shall be considered a lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan 
African country.
    In Proclamation 7350 (October 2, 2000), the President authorized 
the USTR to perform the function of determining whether eligible sub-
Saharan beneficiary countries have met the two requirements described 
above. The President directed the USTR to announce any such 
determinations in the Federal Register and to implement them through 
modifications the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTS). Based on actions that both Guinea and Madagascar have taken, I 
have determined that each country have satisfied these two 
requirements. Accordingly, pursuant to the authority assigned to the 
USTR in Proclamation 7350, U.S. note 7(a) to subchapter II of chapter 
98 of the HTS, and U.S. notes 1 and 2(d) to subchapter XIX of the HTS 
are modified by inserting ``Guinea'' and ``Madagascar'' in alphabetical 
sequence in the list of countries. The foregoing modifications to the 
HTS are effective with respect to articles entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse for consumption, on date of publication. Importers 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 (2001).

Michael B.G. Froman,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2014-29169 Filed 12-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F5-P