International trade · 03/03/2006

Commercial Availability of Apparel Inputs (2006): Effect of Providing Preferential Treatment to Apparel From Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean Countries

Following receipt of a request from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) dated February 16, 2006, the Commission instituted its sixth annual investigation No. 332-473, Commercial Availability of Apparel Inputs (2006): Effect of Providing Preferential Treatment to Apparel from Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean Basin, and Andean Countries, under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)) to provide advice regarding the probable economic effect of granting preferential treatment to apparel made from fabrics or yarns that are the subject of petitions filed in 2006 with the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) under the "commercial availability" provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). The Commission conducted similar investigations in the years 2001-05 to provide advice with respect to petitions filed in those years. Background: The Commission will follow procedures similar to those followed in the commercial availability reviews in 2005 under investigation No. 332-465. Thus, in 2006, the