From USA-ITA OFF THE CUFF for October 11, 2013
On October 4th, USA-ITA President Julia K. Hughes joined other apparel and retail trade associations to meet with the African Cotton & Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) in Washington, D.C. During their visit, the ACTIF delegation met with Congressional representatives, was “locked down” during a security alert on Capitol Hill, and had a few meetings canceled due to the government shutdown. However, their message was clear–Congress needs to act soon to extend AGOA beyond 2015.
To achieve that goal, USA-ITA is working with ACTIF and other groups to press the Obama Administration and Members of Congress to act quickly for a long-term extension of AGOA that includes Third-Country Fabric benefits for all AGOA countries.
Washington trade associations and the ACTIF delegation met at the offices of Squire Sanders in D.C. USA-ITA President Julia K. Hughes is fourth from the right, and USA-ITA Washington Counsel David Spooner is sixth from the right.
ACTIF recently released a white paper titled, Prompt Renewal of AGOA for a Sustainably Long Period Is Essential to the Continued Success of the AGOA Textile and Apparel Industry. In the paper, ACTIF calls for AGOA to be renewed for no less than 10 years “in order to avoid the instability, economic disruptions and job losses that are inherent in last-minute renewals.”
ACTIF also calls for other modifications to AGOA, including:
- Extending the Third-Country Fabric Provision for the full term of AGOA’s renewal.
- Allowing the same terms of access, including utilization of third-country yarns and fabrics, for all AGOA beneficiaries.
- Ensuring that Congress encourages the Administration to negotiate regional free trade agreements with AGOA beneficiaries, in addition to AGOA.
- Creating additional incentives for U.S. buyers to source apparel from Africa, such as encouraging USAID to expand the activities of the five African Competitiveness Hubs to include more assistance aimed at attracting U.S. buyers to Africa.
- Renewing AGOA well in advance of the current September 30, 2015, expiration date.
USA-ITA knows that AGOA is an important issue for our members, and we will continue to remain actively engaged on it until Congress approves a long-term renewal of AGOA and the Third-Country Fabric Provision.