A preliminary determination imposing countervailing duties on imports of phosphate fertilizer from Russia and Morocco was announced by the Commerce Department.
The decision was scheduled to be released November 23 but came one day late. The department set preliminary duties of 23.46% on imports from Morocco's OCP Group and other producers in the country, 20.94% on those from Russia's Phosagro, 72.50% on EuroChem and 32.92% on all other Russian producers. The decision follows an investigation launched in July on petitions filed by US-based fertilizer company Mosaic Co.
The US imported about $729 million worth of phosphate fertilizer from Morocco and about $299 million from Russia in 2019, according to Commerce.
A final Commerce Department decision is expected February 8, followed by the International Trade Commission's (ITC) final decision on March 25, with the issuance of an order on April 1.