Reps. Mann, Costa and Sens. Moran, Marshall Urge Biden Administration to Reduce Tariffs on Phosphate Fertilizers and Support Farmers

By the Office of US Congressman Tracey Mann

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (KS-01) and Jim Costa (CA-21) alongside U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) led 35 of their colleagues in urging U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to revise how the Department of Commerce calculates countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizers from Morocco.

The U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) recently remanded to the Department a calculation of its subsidies, which impacts duties imposed on phosphate fertilizers. The bicameral, bipartisan group addressed the financial burden that the duties place on farmers.

“American farmers have labored under skyrocketing fertilizer prices for more than three years,” said Rep. Mann. “Tariffs on phosphate imports led to a price increase of more than 220% from 2020 to 2022. Under current tariffs, the average price of phosphate fertilizer in America is the highest in the world. As farmers purchase this key input at elevated prices, they end up competing in the global marketplace at a competitive disadvantage to foreign producers. American farmers work tirelessly every day to keep us all fed, and as they seek to meet their need for a reliable, diverse supply of fertilizer, the Department of Commerce should lower tariffs on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer.”

“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,” the members wrote. “Reducing the subsidy rate would provide welcomed relief for U.S. farm suppliers and their customers, American family farms.”

The full text of the letter can be found here.

On March 2, 2021, Rep. Mann joined a letter to U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Chair Jason Kearns opposing the countervailing duty (CVD) petition filed on June 26, 2020 against the import of certain phosphate fertilizers.

On March 17, 2022, Rep. Mann led a letter to ITC Chair Kearns requesting that the ITC eliminate tariffs on phosphate fertilizer products imported from Morocco and suspend the process of imposing new tariffs on urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) fertilizer from Trinidad and Tobago.

On July 14, 2022, Rep. Mann led a letter to President Biden demanding that the Administration waive import duties on UAN fertilizer from long-time supplier Trinidad and Tobago.

On June 15, 2022, Rep. Mann led a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo urging Commerce to consider several issues regarding the antidumping duty investigation of UAN solutions from Trinidad and Tobago.

On June 16, 2022, Rep. Mann testified before the ITC on behalf of farmers and agricultural producers in Kansas and across the country.

On July 18, 2022, Rep. Mann released a statement responding to the ITC’s determination that anti-dumping activity surrounding UAN fertilizers in Trinidad and Tobago did not harm the U.S. fertilizer industry.

On October 5, 2023, Rep. Mann led a letter to Secretary Raimondo urging the department to ensure that their methodology for assessing tariffs on imported fertilizers is fair and representative of the global marketplace.

Click here to view Rep. Mann’s Commitment to the Big First.