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CBP Administrative Messages, Web Postings, Etc.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message indicating that the President issued Proclamation 8111 amending the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) to implement the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) for the Dominican Republic to allow merchandise from the Dominican Republic that is entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after March 1, 2007 to be eligible for DR-CAFTA benefits.

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1. Dominican Republic Was Eligible for DR-CAFTA Benefits Effective March 1

CBP notes that the system requirements associated with the DR-CAFTA are listed in an earlier ABI administrative message (Adm: 06-0315). (See ITT's Online Archives or 03/15/06 news, 06031505, for BP summary.)

CBP adds that the Dominican Republic's eligibility to receive DR-CAFTA (SPI P or P) benefits on March 1, 2007 terminates its eligibility to receive Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) (SPI E) and Generalized System of Preference (GSP) (SPI A) benefits. According to Proclamation 8111, the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) (SPI R) preferential treatment was also discontinued for the Dominican Republic.

However, CBP sources have stated by phone that the SPI R will be used in the limited situation of certain Dominican Republic and Haiti co-production. (CBP has previously stated that a good produced in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti that would otherwise qualify for CBTPA preferential treatment will continue to qualify for CBTPA preferential treatment even if the origin-conferring production takes place in the Dominican Republic.)

(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/02/07 news, 07030200, for Part I of BP's summary of Proclamation 8111, which implemented the DR-CAFTA for the Dominican Republic. See future issues of ITT for additional summaries.)

Michelle Videlock (quota issues)(202) 344-2276
Bob Abels (textile issues)(202) 344-1959
Lori Whitehurst (DR-CAFTA trade legislation questions)(202) 344-2722

(CBP Adm: 07-0058, dated 03/01/07, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2007/2007-0058.ADM)

2. 2007-2008 TRQ for Peanuts Opens April 2, 2007

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for peanuts that are provided for in HTS Chapter 12, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 2 and entered under HTS 1202.10.4020, 1202.10.4040, 1202.20.4020, 1202.20.4040, 2008.11.2500, and 2008.11.4500 during the April 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008 period.

According to CBP, this TRQ will open on Monday, April 2, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. EDT, or its equivalent in other time zones with the following countries/areas having the following low-duty quantities:

Argentina43,901,000 kg
Other Countries or Areas9,005,000 kg

CBP states that this TRQ is expected to oversubscribe at opening, and filers are advised against using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) as a form of payment. CBP further states that in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations, imported raw peanuts under HTS 1202.10.40, 1202.10.80, 1202.20.40, and 1202.20.80 from the following countries are prohibited from entry: Burkina Faso, China, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Philippines, Senegal, Thailand, and Taiwan. (QBT-07-522, dated 03/19/07, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/qbts/qbt2007/07_522.ctt/07_522.doc.)

3. Weekly TRQ/TPL Commodity Report as of March 19, 2007

CBP has issued its weekly TRQ/tariff preference level (TPL) commodity report as of March 19, 2007. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain BFTA, CAFTA-DR, JFTA, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, CAFTA-DR, CBTPA, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA (Chile FTA) TPLs and TRQs for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly TRQ/TPL commodity report, dated 03/19/07, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)