US to Review Tariffs on Moroccan Phosphate Fertilizers, Potentially Easing Trade Tensions

Towards a reduction or even elimination of the levies? According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, there will be the opening of a new administrative review on the countervailing duties applied to phosphate fertilizers from Morocco. This review concerns the case C-714-001 relating to Moroccan phosphate fertilizers, of which the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) is the main exporter to the United States.

The work of the U.S. administration will consist of evaluating, based on customs data and contributions from stakeholders, the relevance of the duties in force and their possible revision. Framed by U.S. trade defense mechanisms, this procedure could lead to a reassessment of the levies imposed on Moroccan exporters.

Last year, the United States lowered the tariff rate applied to OCP fertilizers. This rate went from 16.81% to 16.60%. This correction "is based on Section 751(h) of the Tariff Act of 1930 and Regulation 19 CFR 351.224(e), which authorize the correction of ministerial errors, defined as calculation errors or administrative errors," it is specified. It followed a challenge filed on November 12 last year by the OCP group with the U.S. Department of Commerce.