U.S. Department of Commerce Issues Affirmative Preliminary Determinations in the Countervailing Duty Investigations of Imports of Phosphate Fertilizers from Morocco and Russia
For Immediate Release
November 24, 2020
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 202-482-3809
WASHINGTON -Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced affirmative preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco and Russia.
Commerce preliminarily determined that exporters received countervailable subsidies rates of 23.46 percent, and 20.94 percent to 72.50 percent, respectively.
As a result of today’s decisions, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco and Russia based on these preliminary rates.
In 2019, imports of phosphate fertilizers from Morocco and Russia were valued at approximately $729.4 million, and $299.4 million, respectively.
The petitioner is The Mosaic Company (Plymouth, MN).
The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump Administration. Since the beginning of the current administration, Commerce has initiated 306 new antidumping (AD) and CVD investigations – this is a 283 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.
The CVD law provides American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair subsidization of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 539 AD and CVD orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
Commerce is currently scheduled to announce its final CVD determinations on or about February 9, 2021.
If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will be scheduled to make its final injury determinations on or about March 25, 2021. If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations in these investigations and the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will impose CVD orders. If Commerce or the ITC makes negative final determinations, the investigations will be terminated, and no orders will be imposed.
Read the fact sheet on today’s decisions.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that is consistent with international rules and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.
Foreign companies that receive financial assistance from foreign governments that benefits the production of goods from those companies and is limited to specific enterprises or industries, or is contingent either upon export performance or upon the use of domestic goods over imported goods, are subject to countervailing duties.
###
