WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis and his colleagues in the Senate and House recently sent a bicameral letter to U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gina Raimondo calling for a change in how the DOC calculates countervailing duties (CVD) on phosphate fertilizers from Morocco.

The U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) recently remanded to the Department of Commerce a calculation of its subsidies, which impacts duties imposed on phosphate fertilizers. Senator Tillis and the group addressed the financial burden these duties are placing on farmers.

“We ask that Commerce carefully consider and follow the CIT’s decision in Commerce’s recalculation of the subsidy amount, both in its final determination in the investigation and its administrative review. Reducing the subsidy rate would provide welcomed relief for U.S. farm suppliers and their customers, American family farms,” the members wrote.

“American family farmers need a reliable, diverse supply of many agricultural inputs, including fertilizers. The administrative review and the response to the CIT remand present opportunities to address this situation and to properly consider the facts as to the amount of subsidies in this proceeding since its inception,” the members concluded.

Read the full letter HERE. 

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