WT/L/1174  
 
7 November  2023 
(23-7517) Page: 1/8 
General Council  
14-15 December 2023  Original: English  
 
  
UNITED STATES – CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT  
REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE YEAR 2022  
UNDER THE DECISION OF 16 OCTOBER 20191 
The following communication, dated 26 October 2023,  is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the United States.  
 
_______________  
 
 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  On 5 May 2015, the United States was granted a renewal of the waiver ( WT/L/950 ) of its 
obligations under paragraph 1 of Article  I and paragraphs 1 and 2 of  Article XIII of the GATT 1994 
to the extent necessary to permit the United States Government to provide duty free treatment to 
eligible products of the Caribbean Basin countries and territories as authorized by the provisions of 
Caribbean Basin Economic R ecovery Act (CBERA) without being required to extend the same duty -
free treatment to like products of any other Member. This waiver ( WT/L/950 ) expired on 
31 December 2019. A new waiver ( WT/L/1070 ) dated 16 October 2019 extended the period of 
performance through 30 S eptember 2025.  
1.2.  Under the terms of this waiver, the United States is required to submit to the General Council 
an annual report on the implementation of the trade -related provisions of the CBERA with a view to 
facilitating the annual review provided for in  paragraph 4 of Article IX of the WTO Agreement. This 
report covers calendar year 2019.  
2  DUTY FREE TREATMENT UNDER THE CBERA  
2.1.  Section 211 of the CBERA  allows the President of the United States to eliminate duties on all 
products, with certain exceptions2, from those Caribbean countries and territories that the President 
designates as beneficiaries. In 2022, 17  countries and territories received CBERA b enefits. These 
countries and territories were: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British 
Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St.  Kitts and Nevis, 
St. Lucia, St.  Vincent and the Grenadines , and Trinidad and Tobago.  
2.2.  On 5 August 2004, the United States signed the Dominican Republic -Central America -United 
States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA -DR) with five Central American countries (Costa Rica, 
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) an d the Dominican Republic. The CAFTA -DR 
 
1 WT/L/1070 . 
2 Prior to enactment of the United States -Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) in 2000, the 
products excluded from duty free treatment were: textile and apparel articles which are subject to textile 
agreements; certain footwear which was not eligible for duty free entry under the US Generalized System of 
Preferences in 1983; prepared tuna in airtight containers; petroleum and petroleum products; watches and 
watch parts if such products contain any material from countries not accorded MFN treat ment; and certain 
leather products (handbags, luggage, flat goods, work gloves, and leather wearing apparel). Many of these 
excluded products became eligible for preferential treatment under CBTPA, Title II of the Trade and 
Development Act of 2000, which a mended the CBERA. The Trade Act of 2002, the Haitian Hemispheric 
Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act of 2006, and the HOPE II Act of 2008 further 
amended the CBERA.  WT/L/1174  
 
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  entered into force for El Salvador on 1 March 2006; for Honduras on 1 April 2006; for Nicaragua on 
1 April 2006; for Guatemala on 1 July 2006; for the Dominican Republic on 1 March 2007; and for 
Costa Rica on 1 Januar y 2009. When the CAFTA -DR entered into force for each of these countries, 
the country ceased to be designated as a CBERA and CBTPA beneficiary. On 31 October 2012, the 
United States -Panama Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) entered into force and Panama cease d to 
be designated as a CBERA and CBTPA beneficiary.  
2.3.  The Trade Act of 2002 amended the CBERA to grant additional benefits to Caribbean Basin 
apparel products. Specifically, these changes permitted the use of US and regional knit -to-shape 
components in elig ible apparel articles. In addition, the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through 
Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act of 2006 amended the CBERA program by establishing special 
new rules of origin that make Haiti eligible for new trade benefits for apparel i mports and that 
enhance sourcing flexibility for apparel producers in Haiti. The HOPE II Act of 2008 modified the 
existing trade preference programs under HOPE and added other new programs that allow for duty -
free treatment for qualifying Haitian -produced apparel. In 2010, the Haiti Economic Lift Program 
(HELP) Act extended the CBTPA and the HOPE Acts through 30  September  2020. The HELP Act also 
provided duty -free treatment for additional textile and apparel products from Haiti. Section 301 of 
the Trade Pre ferences Extension Act of 2015 extended preferences for certain products of Haiti 
through  30 September 2025.  In 2020, the CBTPA was extended through 30 September 2030.  
3  CBERA PERFORMANCE  
3.1.  Combined with economic reform and other actions taken by beneficiary c ountries to liberalize 
their trade regimes, the trade benefits of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) have both helped 
beneficiary countries and dependent territories in the region diversify their exports and have 
contributed to their economic growth.  
3.2.  In 2022, US imports under CBERA preferences increased 21.9 per cent from USD 2.2 billion in 
2021 to USD 2.7 billion in 2022. This increase in US imports is driven primarily by the rise of 
hydrocarbon imports under CBERA from Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. T able 2 shows that US 
imports of methanol under CBERA preferences decreased from USD 472 million in 2021 to USD 377 
million in 2022.  
3.3.  Of the USD 2.7 billion in imports under CBERA in 2022, energy -related products3 accounted for 
48 per cent, textiles and ap parel (almost all apparel) for 32 per cent, and agricultural products and 
processed food for 3 per cent.  
3.4.  The leading beneficiary countries for imports entering under CBERA preferences in 2022 were 
Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. The United States i mported $993 million under CBERA 
preferences from Haiti in 2022. Trinidad and Tobago was the second leading supplier of US imports 
under CBERA in 2022. US imports from Trinidad and Tobago under CBERA totalled USD 882 million 
in 2022, up from USD 754 millio n in 202 1, or a 17 per  cent increase. US imports from Guyana soared 
from USD 188 million in 202 1 to USD 532 million in 2022, an increase of 182 per  cent. 
3.5.  Statistical annexes are provided to present a detailed description of the trade aspects of the 
CBERA program for the most recent period. Detailed information for previous years has been 
provided in previous reports to the GATT Council or WTO General Council.  
_______________  
 
 
Table 1 provides summary information on US imports for consumption under C BERA provisions, by 
sources, during the period 2014 through 2022.  
 
Table 2  provides information on US imports under CBERA of Methanol (2905.11.20) from Trinidad 
and Tobago, during the period 2018 through 2022.  
 
 
3 The term "energy -related products" used herein encompasses chapters 27 and 29 of the US 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule.  WT/L/1174  
 
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  Table 3  provides information on leading US i mports for consumption under CBERA provisions, by 
product, during the period 2020 through 2022.  
Table 4  provides information on US trade with CBERA countries during the period 2014 through 
2022.  
 
_______________  
 
 
   
  WT/L/1174  
 
- 4 - TABLE 1  
US IMPORTS FOR CONSUMPTION UNDER CBERA PROVISIONS, BY SOURCES, 2014 -20224 
Source  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020  2021  2022   
Value (1,000 dollars)  
Haiti 856,911  930,583  857,223  879,004  958,549  999,165  768,208  1,029,598  993,474  
Trinidad and Tobago  1,234,474  830,291  379,017  487,845  551,782  695,929  579,070  753,963  882,318  
Guyana  11,857  34,918  1,551  732 850 4,397  265,394  188,291  532,034  
Jamaica  71,779  81,583  74,571  72,762  83,670  92,902  109,036  122,535  133,748  
Bahamas  158,191  88,389  68,403  79,744  66,181  60,673  56,751  71,478  80,108  
Belize  60,582  36,881  17,136  12,398  15,209  20,653  15,439  15,835  20,975  
Curaçao  5,365  3 85 124 119 57 155 105 16,217  
Saint Kitts and Nevis  18,341  10,481  7,158  5,083  5,076  4,234  3,307  4,606  6,708  
Grenada  443 1,728  1,809  2,405  2,912  2,991  2,485  2,637  3,975  
Saint Lucia  1,162  1,301  627 342 373 488 575 599 875 
Barbados  5,295  22,570  2,321  3,558  7,453  5,753  7,567  779 641 
Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines  182 16 45 102 22 77 0 24 129 
Aruba  75 93 15 36 16 30 32 212 35 
Dominica  66 77 22 48 36 29 50 17 13 
Antigua Barbuda  19 82 37 161 19 18 36 0 7 
British Virgin Islands  50 9 9 0 22 11 0 0 0 
Total 2,424,793  2,039,003  1,410,031  1,544,346  1,692,289  1,887,406  1,808,104  2,190,679  2,671,256  
Note:  Due to rounding, figures may not add to totals given. Haiti data for 2016 and 2017 were created using adjusted data based on provisions in chapter 98 of the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule (98). Other years of Haiti data were adjusted based on import program claimed and rate provision claimed.  
Source:  Compiled from official statistics of the US Department of Commerce.  
  
 
4 CAFTA -DR entered into force for the following countries (date of entry into force), at which time they ceased to be CBERA beneficia ries: El Salvador (1 March  2006), 
Honduras and Nicaragua (1 April 2006), Gu atemala (1 July 2006), the Dominican Republic (1 March 2007), and Costa Rica (1 January 2009). TPA entered into force as of 
31 October 2012, at which time Panama ceased to be a CBERA beneficiary.    
  WT/L/1174  
 
- 5 - TABLE 1 – CONTINUED  
US IMPORTS FOR CONSUMPTION UNDER CBERA  PROVISIONS, BY SOURCES, 2014 -2022 
Source  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020  2021  2022  
  Per cent of total   
Haiti 35.34  45.64  60.79  56.92  56.64  52.94  42.49  47.00  37.19  
Trinidad and Tobago  50.91  40.72  26.88  31.59  32.61  36.87  32.03  34.42  33.03  
Guyana  0.49 1.71 0.11 0.05 0.05 0.23 14.68  8.60 19.92  
Jamaica  2.96 4.00 5.29 4.71 4.94 4.92 6.03 5.59 5.01 
Bahamas  6.52 4.33 4.85 5.16 3.91 3.21 3.14 3.26 3.00 
Belize  2.50 1.81 1.22 0.80 0.90 1.09 0.85 0.72 0.79 
Curaçao  0.22 (a) 0.01 0.01 0.01 (a) 0.01 (a) 0.61 
Saint Kitts and Nevis  0.76 0.51 0.51 0.33 0.30 0.22 0.18 0.21 0.25 
Grenada  0.02 0.08 0.13 0.16 0.17 0.16 0.14 0.12 0.15 
Saint Lucia  0.05 0.06 0.04 0.02 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 
Barbados  0.22 1.11 0.16 0.23 0.44 0.30 0.42 0.04 0.02 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  0.01 (a) (a) 0.01 (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) 
Aruba  (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) 
Dominica  (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) 
Antigua Barbuda  (a) (a) (a) 0.01 (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) 
British Virgin Islands  (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) 
Total 100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00  100.00  
(a) Less than 0.005 per cent.  
Source:  Compiled from official import statistics of the US Department of Commerce.  WT/L/1174  
 
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  TABLE 2  
US IMPORTS UNDER CBERA OF METHANOL (2905.11.20) FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 
2018-2022 
Program  2018  2019  2020  2021  2022  
CBERA  449,419,867  356,570,787  248,628,629  472,252,582  377,057,918  
No special programs claimed  13,205,139  10,944,758  9,738,954  6,290,316  618,506  
 WT/L/1174  
 
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  TABLE 3  
LEADING US IMPORTS FOR CONSUMPTION UNDER CBERA PROVISIONS, 2020 -2022 
HTS 
Number  Description  2020  2021  2022  Change 
2021 – 
2022    
Value (millions of dollars)  Per cent 
2709.00.20  Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, 
crude, testing 25 degrees A.P.I. or more  364.3  185.1  571.1  208.5  
2905.11.20  Methanol (Methyl alcohol), other than imported 
only for use in producing synthetic natural gas 
(SNG) or for direct use as fuel  248.6  472.3  377.1  -20.2 
2709.00.10  Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, 
crude, testing under 25 degrees A.P.I.  183.1  221.8  336.0  51.5 
6109.10.00  T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, 
knitted or crocheted, of cotton  203.3  259.2  286.4  10.5 
6109.90.10  T-shirts, singlets, tank tops and similar garments, 
knitted or crocheted, of man -made fibers  97.4 130.5  164.2  25.8 
6110.30.30  Sweaters, pullovers and similar articles, knitted or 
crocheted, of manmade fibers, nesoi  109.8  141.4  112.0  -20.8 
6110.20.20  Sweaters, pullovers and similar articles, knitted or 
crocheted, of cotton, nesoi  62.4 105.2  85.7 -18.6 
3903.11.00  Polystyrene, expandable, in primary forms  55.4 70.2 78.7 12.1 
2933.61.00  Melamine  8.1 19.9 58.7 195.5  
6203.43.90  Men's/boys' trousers, breeches, shorts, not k/c, 
synth fibers, con under 15% wt down etc, cont und 
36% wt wool, n/water resist, not rec perf outwear  24.4 58.1 50.2 -13.7 
6104.62.20  Women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
knitted or crocheted, of cotton  69.1 64.0 44.1 -31.1 
6104.63.20  Women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
knitted or crocheted, of synthetic fibers, nesoi  23.4 48.2 44.0 -8.7 
6205.30.20  Men's or boys' shirts, not knitted or crocheted, of 
manmade fibers, nesoi  23.2 37.7 37.5 -0.6 
2710.19.06  Distillate and residual fuel oil (including blends) 
derived from petroleum or oils from bituminous 
minerals, testing < 25 degrees A.P.I.  0.0 0.0 33.1 NA 
1701.14.10  Other cane sugar, raw, in solid form, w/o added 
flavoring or coloring, subject to add. US 5 to Ch.17  21.3 12.2 32.9 170.0  
0714.30.10  Fresh or chilled yams (Dioscorea spp.), whether or 
not sliced or in the form of pellets  30.1 30.5 30.5 0.0 
2106.90.99  Other food preps nesoi, incl preps for the 
manufacture of beverages, non -dairy coffee 
whiteners, herbal teas and flavored honey  0.0 0.0 30.1 NA 
2103.90.90  Sauces and preparations therefor, neosi  19.4 25.6 21.8 -14.8 
6211.43.10  Women's or girls' track suits or other garments 
nesoi, not knitted or crocheted, of man -made 
fibers, o/than rec perf outwear  21.6 17.4 15.4 -11.5 
6204.63.90  Women's or girls' trousers, breeches and shorts, 
not knitted or crocheted, of synthetic fibers, ne soi, 
o/than rec perf outwear  10.5 12.8 13.2 3.4 
 
Total of above  1,575.4  1,911.9  2,422.4  26.7 
 
All other  232.7  278.8  248.8  -10.7 
  Total 1,808.1  2,190.7  2,671.3  21.9 
Note:  Due to rounding, figures may not add to totals given. The abbreviations "nesoi" and "nesi" stand for 
"not elsewhere specified or otherwise included." NV indicates the tariff line was not valid in that 
year. NA indicates a calculation was not applicable.  
Source:  Compiled from official import statistics of the US D epartment of Commerce.  
 
 
  WT/L/1174  
 
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  TABLE 4  
US TRADE WITH CBERA BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES, 2014 -20225 
Year US Exports6 Share of US 
exports to 
the world  US Imports7 Share of US 
imports to 
the world  US trade balance  
 
Millions dollars  Per cent  Millions dollars  Per cent Millions dollars  
2014 12,742.8  0.9 8,495.9  0.4 4,246.9  
2015 11,635.0  0.9 7,066.6  0.3 4,568.4  
2016 10,475.5  0.9 5,339.9  0.2 5,135.6  
2017 12,204.4  0.9 5,876.5  0.3 6,327.9  
2018 13,476.7  1.0 6,093.6  0.2 7,383.2  
2019 13,924.5  1.0 5,567.5  0.2 8,357.0  
2020 11,144.9  0.9 5,089.5  0.2 6,055.5  
2021 12,822.4  0.9 8,678.0  0.3 4,144.3  
2022 18,408.5  1.1 11,603.1  0.4 6,805.3  
Note:  Due to rounding, figures may not add to totals given. After 2013 Curaçao  became a CBERA 
beneficiary.  
Source : Compiled from official statistics of the US Department of Commerce.  
 
__________  
 
5 Includes imports and exports for countries only while they were CBERA beneficiaries. See CBERA Table  1 
for program me coverage.  
6 Domestic exports, f.a.s. basis.  
7 Imports for consumption, customs value.