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[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19890-19891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9903]

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COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS

Request for Public Comments on Bilateral Textile Consultations 
With Colombia on Cotton and Man-Made Fiber Underwear

April 17, 1995.
AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Notice.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Tallarico, 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: Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended; 
section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 
1854).

    On March 29, 1995, under the terms of Section 204 of the 
Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended, the Government of the United 
States requested consultations with the Government of Colombia with 
respect to cotton and man-made fiber underwear in Categories 352/652, 
produced or manufactured in Colombia.
    The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that, if no 
solution is agreed upon in consultations with the Government of 
Colombia, the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements 
may later establish a limit for the entry and withdrawal from warehouse 
for consumption of cotton and man-made fiber textile products in 
Categories 352/652, produced or manufactured in Colombia and exported 
during the twelve-month period which began on March 29, 1995 and 
extends through March 28, 1996, at a level of not less than 1,509,880 
dozen.
    A statement of serious damage concerning Categories 352/652 follows 
this notice.
    Anyone wishing to comment or provide data or information regarding 
the treatment of Categories 352/652, or to comment on domestic 
production or availability of products included in Categories 352/652, 
is invited to submit 10 copies of such comments or information to Rita 
D. Hayes, 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 Colombia.
    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 comments 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 agreement 
or the implementation thereof 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 352/652. Should such a solution be reached in 
consultations with the Government of Colombia, 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 59 FR 65531, published on December 20, 1994).
Rita D. Hayes,
Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.

Statement of Serious Damage
Colombia
Cotton and Manmade Fiber Underwear
Category 352/652
Import Situation and Conclusion
    U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber underwear, Category 352/
652, from Colombia reached 1,509,880 dozen in 1994, 46 percent above 
the 1,032,210 dozen imported in 1993 and 160 percent above its 1992 
level. Imports from Colombia were 1.6 percent of total U.S. imports of 
Category 352/652 in 1994, and were equivalent to nearly 1 percent of 
U.S. production of Category 352/652 in the year ending September 1994.
    U.S. imports of cotton and manmade fiber underwear, from Colombia 
in Category 352/652, entered the U.S. at an average landed duty-paid 
value of $13.79 per dozen, 54 percent below U.S. producers' average 
price for cotton and manmade fiber underwear. The sharp and substantial 
increase of low priced imports from Colombia is causing serious damage 
to the U.S. domestic industry producing cotton and manmade fiber 
underwear.
U.S. Production, Import Penetration, and Market Share
    U.S. production of cotton and manmade fiber underwear, Category 
352/652, declined from 175,542,000 dozen in 1992 to 168,802,000 dozen 
in 1993, a decline of 4 percent. Production continued to decline in 
1994, falling to 126,962,000 dozen during the first nine months of 
1994, 4 percent below January-September 1993 production level. In 
contrast imports of Category 352/652 surged from 65,507,000 dozen in 
1992 to 79,962,000 dozen in 1993, a 22 percent increase. Cotton and 
manmade fiber underwear, Category 352/652, imports continued to 
increase in 1994, reaching 97,375,000 dozen, 22 percent above the 1993 
level and 49 percent above the level imported in 1992.
    The ratio of imports to domestic production increased from 37 
percent in 1992 to 47 percent in 1993, and reached 54 percent during 
January-September 1994. The share of this market held by domestic 
manufacturers fell from 73 percent in 1992 to 68 percent in 1993, a 
decline of five percentage points. The [[Page 19891]] domestic market 
share dropped to 65 percent during the first nine months of 1994.
[FR Doc. 95-9903 Filed 4-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-F
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