AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily finds that Ghigi 1870 S.p.A. (previously known as Ghigi lndustria Agroalimentare Srl) (Ghigi) and Pasta Zara S.p.A. (Pasta Zara) (collectively Ghigi/Zara) made sales of subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) and that Industria Alimentare Colavita S.p.A. (Indalco) did not. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Effective Applicable August 10, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joy Zhang or George McMahon, AD/CVD Operations, Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1168 or (202) 482-1167, respectively.

Background

Commerce is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain pasta (pasta) from Italy. The period of review (POR) is July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise subject to the Order  ^[1] is certain pasta from Italy and is currently classifiable under items 1901.90.90.95 and 1902.19.20 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise subject to the order is dispositive. A full description of the scope of the Order is contained in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.^[2]

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Constructed export price or export price is calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying our preliminary results, see Preliminary Decision Memorandum. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and is available to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B-8024 of the main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/​frn/​index.html. A list of the topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is attached as an Appendix to this notice.

Preliminary Results of the Review

As a result of this review, we calculated a weighted-average dumping margin of 5.97 percent for Ghigi/Zara and a de minimis margin for Indalco for the period July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017. Therefore, in accordance with section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, we assigned the weighted-average dumping margin of 5.97 percent calculated for Ghigi/Zara to the seven non-selected companies in these preliminary results, as referenced below. ( printed page 39686)

Disclosure

We intend to disclose the calculations performed to parties in this proceeding within five days after public announcement of the preliminary results.^[4]

Public Comment

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(ii), interested parties may submit case briefs not later than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed no later than five days after the date for filing case briefs.^[5] Parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities.^[6]

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, or to participate if one is requested, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. All documents must be filed electronically using ACCESS, which is available to registered users at http://acess.trade.gov. An electronically filed request must be received successfully in its entirety by ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice.^[7] Requests should contain: (1) The party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective case and rebuttal briefs.

We intend to issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of our analysis of the issues raised in any written briefs, not later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.

Assessment Rate

Upon issuance of the final results, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. If the weighted-average dumping margin for Ghigi/Zara or Indalco is above de minimis ( i.e., more than 0.5 percent) in the final results of this review, we will calculate importer-specific assessment rates on the basis of the ratio of the total amount of antidumping duties calculated for each importer's examined sales and the total entered value of sales in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).^[8] If the weighted-average dumping margin for Ghigi/Zara or Indalco is zero or de minimis in the final results of review, we will instruct CBP not to assess duties on any of their entries in accordance with the Final Modification for Reviews.^[9]

For entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by each respondent for which they did not know that their merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction.

We intend to issue instructions to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of this review.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of administrative review for all shipments of pasta from Italy entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for respondents noted above will be the rate established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for merchandise exported by producers or exporters not covered in this administrative review but covered in a prior segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original investigation, but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding for the producer of the subject merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be 15.45 percent, the all-others rate established in the antidumping investigation as modified by the section 129 determination.^[10] These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this review ( printed page 39687) period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing these results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(1).

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Scope of the Order

IV. Discussion of Methodology

A. Comparisons to Normal Value

1. Determination of Comparison Method

2. Results of the Differential Pricing (DP) Analysis

B. Product Comparisons

C. Date of Sale

D. Export Price/Constructed Export Price

E. Normal Value

1. Home Market Viability

2. Affiliated Party Transactions and the Arm's-Length Test

3. Cost of Production

a. Calculation of Cost of Production

b. Test of Comparison Market Prices

c. Results of the COP Test

F. Level of Trade

G. Calculation of Normal Value Based on Comparison Market Prices

H. Calculation of Normal Value Based on Constructed Value

I. Margins for Companies Not Selected for Individual Examination

J. Currency Conversion

V. Recommendation