- Italy’s
foreign ministry announces US duty cuts. - Sharp
reductions on proposed pasta import tariffs. - Targets
several major Italian pasta makers.
The United States announced in October that 13 Italian pasta
companies would be subject to an additional 92% duty starting in January 2026,
on top of the standard 15% rate on most imports from the European Union. The
United States accused two specific producers, La Molisana and Garofalo, of
selling pasta at unjustly low prices.
However, the Italian foreign ministry stated in a statement
that following a review, the US Department of Commerce lowered the duty on La
Molisana to 2.26 percent while Garofalo’s rate was set at 13.98 percent.
A tariff of 9.09 percent is imposed on the other 11
manufacturers who were not specifically looked at in the study.
“The recalculation of the duties is a sign that US
authorities recognise our companies’ constructive willingness to
co-operate,”
the foreign ministry said.
It further stated that the ministry will continue to assist
the impacted enterprises in the upcoming weeks and that the complete findings
of the US review would be made public on March 11.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had believed
that her close relationship with US President Donald Trump would protect
Italian businesses from further duties, but the planned pasta penalties had
embarrassed her.
According to figures from the national statistics office
ISTAT, Italy’s total pasta exports were valued at over 4 billion euros ($A7
billion) in 2024.
What reasons did the US Department of Commerce give for the
reassessment?
No specific reasons from the U.S. Department of Commerce for
the pasta tariff reassessment were detailed in available reports. Italy’s
foreign ministry stated the cuts followed a review of the directors’ U.S.
conditioning, inferring the companies handed substantiation of fair pricing and
limited jilting, leading to loweranti-dumping perimeters.
The U.S. Department of Commerce sprucely reduced
proposedanti-dumping duties on 13 Italian pasta makers from over to 92 (plus
the standard 15 EU tariff) to much lower rates following a reassessment of
their U.S. request conditioning.
La Molisana drops to 2.26, Garofalo to 13.98, and the other
11 directors to 9.09; final determinations come March 11, 2026. Italy’s foreign
ministry hailed the cuts as recognition of” genuine amenability to
cooperate” after months of addresses, sparing $800 million in periodic
U.S. pasta significances from crippling hikes.
