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[Federal Register: December 28, 2001 (Volume 66,
Number 249)]
[Notices]
[Page 67168]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
Notices
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
Special Provisions for Canadian Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Imports Under the North American Free Trade Agreement
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of determination of existence of conditions necessary for imposition of temporary duty on potatoes from Canada.
SUMMARY: As required by section 301(a) of the United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 1988, as amended by the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (``FTA Implementation Act''), this is a notification that the Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the necessary conditions exist with respect to United States acreage and import price criteria for potatoes classifiable to subheadings 0701.90 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) imported from Canada to permit the Secretary to consider recommending to the President the imposition of a temporary duty (``snapback duty'') by the United States pursuant to section 301(a) of the FTA Implementation Act, implementing Article 702 of the United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement, Special Provisions for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, as incorporated by reference and made a part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) pursuant to Annex 702.1, paragraph 1 of NAFTA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Grunenfelder, Horticultural & Tropical Products Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250-1049 or telephone at (202) 720-3423.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FTA
Implementation Act, in accordance with the NAFTA, authorizes the imposition of a
temporary duty (snapback) for a limited group of fresh fruits and vegetables
from Canada when certain conditions exist. Potatoes, classified under
subheadings 0701.90 of the HTS, is a good subject to the snapback duty
provision.
Under section 301(a) of the FTA Implementation Act, two
conditions must exist before imposition by the United States of a snapback duty
can be considered. First, the import price of a covered Canadian fruit or
vegetable, for each of five consecutive working days, must be less than ninety
percent of the corresponding five-year average monthly import price. This price
for a particular day is the average import price of a Canadian fresh fruit or
vegetable imported into the United States from Canada, for the calendar month in
which that day occurs, in each of the 5 preceding years, excluding the years
with the highest and lowest monthly averages.
Second, the planted acreage in the United States for the like
fruit
or vegetable must be no higher than the average planted acreage over the
preceding five years, excluding the years with the highest and lowest acreage.
From October 2-8, 2001, the price conditions with respect to
potatoes were met.
The most recent revision of planted acreage for potatoes
shows that this year's planted acreage is below the planted acreage over the
preceding five years, excluding the years with the highest and lowest planted
acreages.
Issued at Washington, DC the
12th day of December, 2001.
Ann Veneman,
Secretary of Agriculture.
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