Sam Jones-Ellard (202) 720-8998Samuel.Jones@ams.usda.gov
WASHINGTON, June 3, 2011— The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposes to amend the assessment provisions of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program rules and regulations for imported cotton and cotton-containing products.
The proposed amendment is an update of the value of imported cotton and reflects the 2010 annual average price received by U.S. farmers for Upland cotton.
“The proposed adjustment is required by regulation to ensure that the assessments collected on imported cotton and the cotton-content of imported products remain similar to those paid on domestically produced cotton,” said Rayne Pegg, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator.
This year, the update increases the value of imported cotton specified by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program rules and regulations for calculating assessments on imported cotton and cotton-containing products.
In addition, AMS proposes to update textile trade conversion factors used to determine the raw fiber equivalents of imported cotton-containing products and to expand the number of Harmonized Tariff Schedule statistical reporting numbers from the current 706 to 2,371 to assess all imported cotton and cotton-containing products.
Details of the proposed rule will appear in the June 3, 2011 Federal Register. Interested persons are invited to submit written comments concerning this proposed rule to Shethir M. Riva, Chief, Research and Promotion Staff, Cotton and Tobacco Programs, AMS, USDA, Stop 0224, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Room 2635-S, Washington, DC 20250-0224 or at Shethir.riva@ams.usda.gov. Comments must be received on or before July 5, 2011. Comments may also be submitted electronically through www.regulations.gov.
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