Foreign Ministry part of GSP alliance countries lobbying for renewal

• Says not first time GSP has been suspended 
• Ministry “remains hopeful” program will be renewed by Congress

The Foreign Ministry yesterday said the GSP alliance countries, including Sri Lanka, are lobbying for the renewal of the GSP program, and remains hopeful it will be renewed by the US Congress.

Releasing a statement, the Ministry said the United States’ Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) provides duty-free treatment to goods of 120 designated beneficiary countries and territories. 

The program was authorised by the Trade Act of 1974 to promote economic growth in the developing countries, and was implemented on 1 January, 1976. The GSP expires periodically, and must be renewed by the US Congress to remain in effect. The 2015 GSP reauthorisation (H.R. 1295) will expire tomorrow.

The US Congress has not re-authorised its renewal before adjourning for the year 2017. Therefore, the GSP program will expire on 31 December, 2017, and all those importing GSP eligible goods to the USA, from Sri Lanka as well as all other beneficiary countries and territories will be subject to non-preferential duties from 1 January, 2018. 

“This is not the first occasion on which the GSP reauthorisation by the US Congress has been delayed. However, whenever GSP renewals eventually took effect after similar lapses, on previous occasions, a retroactive clause providing refunds to importers of eligible goods imported during the lapse period, has been incorporated,” the statement said. 

The US economy is the largest single destination for Sri Lankan exports, accounting for more than 27.5% of Sri Lanka’s exports. In 2016, out of total export earnings that amounted to $10.3 billion, exports to the US were $2.8 billion. In the first 10 months of 2017, exports to the US amounted to $2.4 billion.

At present, nearly 3,500 different products from Sri Lanka are eligible to access the US market on a duty free basis under this program.

 The items include selected manufactured items, inputs used in manufacturing jewellery, carpets, selected agricultural and fishery products, and selected types of chemicals, minerals and marble. However, Sri Lanka’s largest single export item to the US, which is garments, is not eligible for benefits under the GSP program.