Notice2025-16154
Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts From Belgium: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024
Primary source
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Published
August 22, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that Citribel nv. (Citribel) did not sell subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value (NV) during the period of review (POR), July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 161 (Friday, August 22, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 161 (Friday, August 22, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41037-41039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16154]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-423-813]
Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts From Belgium: Preliminary
Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily
determines that Citribel nv. (Citribel) did not sell subject
merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value (NV)
during the period of review (POR), July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.
We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.
DATES: Applicable August 22, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Cohen, 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) 482-4521.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On July 25, 2018, Commerce published the antidumping duty (AD)
order on citric acid and certain citrate salts (citric acid) from
Belgium in the Federal Register.\1\ On August 14, 2024, pursuant to
section 751(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act),
Commerce initiated an AD administrative review of the Order.\2\ During
the course of this administrative review, Citribel responded to
Commerce's questionnaire and supplemental questionnaires. For further
details, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\3\
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\1\ See Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts from Belgium,
Colombia and Thailand: Antidumping Duty Orders, 83 FR 35214 (July
25, 2018) (Order).
\2\ See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Administrative Reviews, 89 FR 66035 (August 14, 2024).
\3\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary
Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Citric Acid
and Certain Citrate Salts from Belgium; 2023-2024,'' dated
concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary
Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Order
The merchandise covered by this Order includes all grades and
granulation sizes of citric acid, sodium citrate, and potassium citrate
in their unblended forms, whether dry or in solution, and regardless of
packaging type. For a full description of the scope of the Order, see
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
Methodology
Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section
751(a) of the Act. Export price has been calculated in accordance with
section 772(a) of the Act, and NV was calculated in accordance with
section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology
underlying our conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. A
list of the topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is
attached as an appendix to this notice. 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 <a href="https://access.trade.gov">https://access.trade.gov</a>. In addition, a complete
version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly
at <a href="https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx">https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx</a>.
Preliminary Results of the Review
Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated
weighted-average dumping margin exists for the period July 1, 2023,
through June 30, 2024:
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Weighted-average
Exporter/producer dumping margin
(percent)
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Citribel nv......................................... 0.00
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Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis
performed to interested parties for these preliminary results within
five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
Public Comment
Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. Pursuant to 19 CFR
351.309(c)(1)(ii), we have modified the deadline for interested parties
to submit case briefs to Commerce to no later than 21 days after the
date of the publication of this notice.\4\ Rebuttal briefs, limited to
issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days
after the
[[Page 41038]]
date for filing case briefs.\5\ Interested parties who submit case or
rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents
listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities.\6\ All briefs must
be filed electronically using ACCESS. An electronically filed document
must be received successfully in its entirety in ACCESS by 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Time on the established deadline.
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\4\ See 19 CFR 351.309.
\5\ See 19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Administrative Protective
Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Proceedings, 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29,
2023) (APO and Service Final Rule).
\6\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior
proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an
executive summary of their brief that should be limited to five pages
total, including footnotes. In this review, we instead request that
interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public,
executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.\7\ Further, we
request that interested parties limit their executive summary of each
issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to
use the executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries
included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the
final results in this administrative review. We request that interested
parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the executive
summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its
requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR
351.303(f).\8\
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\7\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum.
\8\ See APO and Service Final Rule.
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Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to
request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant
Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via
ACCESS. Requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address, and
telephone number; (2) the number of participants and whether any
participant is a foreign national; and (3) a list of issues to be
discussed. Oral presentations at the hearing will be limited to issues
raised in the briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce
intends to hold a hearing at a date and time to be determined.\9\
Parties should confirm the date, time, and location of the hearing two
days before the scheduled date.
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\9\ See 19 CFR 351.310(d).
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Assessment Rates
Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(A) of the Act, upon completion of the
final results of this administrative review, Commerce shall determine,
and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping
duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise covered by
this review.\10\ If the weighted-average dumping margin for Citribel
(i.e., the sole individually-examined respondent in this review) is not
zero or de minimis (i.e., greater than or equal to 0.5 percent) in the
final results of this review, we will calculate importer-specific ad
valorem assessment rates for the merchandise based on the ratio of the
total amount of dumping calculated for the examined sales made during
the POR to each importer and the total entered value of those same
sales, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). Where we do not have
entered values for all U.S. sales to a particular importer, we will
calculate an importer-specific, per-unit assessment rate on the basis
of the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the
importer's examined sales to the total quantity of those sales.\11\ To
determine whether an importer-specific, per-unit assessment rate is de
minimis, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2), we also will
calculate an importer-specific ad valorem ratio based on estimated
entered values. Where an importer-specific ad valorem assessment rate
is zero or de minimis in the final results of the review, we will
instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to
antidumping duties.\12\ The final results of this administrative review
shall be the basis for the assessment of antidumping duties on entries
of merchandise covered by the final results of this review and for
future deposits of estimated duties, where applicable.\13\
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\10\ See 19 CFR 351.212(b).
\11\ See 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).
\12\ See 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2).
\13\ See section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act.
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In accordance with Commerce's ``automatic assessment'' practice,
for entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by Citribel
for which the producer did not know its merchandise was destined for
the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries
at the all-others rate established in the original less-than-fair value
(LTFV) investigation (i.e., 18.81 percent) \14\ if there is no rate for
the intermediate company (or companies) involved in the
transaction.\15\
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\14\ See Order, 83 FR at 35215.
\15\ See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings:
Assessment of Antidumping Duties, 68 FR 23954 (May 6, 2003).
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Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier
than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this
review in the Federal Register. If a timely summons is filed at the
U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will
direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties
to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired (i.e., within
90 days of publication).
Cash Deposit Requirements
The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon
publication of the final results of this administrative review for all
shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from
warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the
final results of this administrative review, as provided by section
751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for Citribel will be
equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final
results of this administrative review, except if the rate is less than
0.50 percent, and therefore de minimis within the meaning of 19 CFR
351.106(c)(1), in which case the cash deposit rate will be zero; (2)
for previously reviewed or investigated companies not listed above, the
cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate
published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding in
which the company participated; (3) if the exporter is not a firm
covered in this review, a prior review, or in the 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 merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers
or exporters will continue to be the all-others rate of 19.30 percent,
the rate established in the LTFV investigation of this proceeding.\16\
These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect
until further notice.
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\16\ See Order, 83 FR at 35215.
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Final Results of Review
Unless the deadline is extended pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of
the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2), Commerce will issue the final results
of this administrative review, including the results of our analysis of
the issues raised by the parties in their case briefs,
[[Page 41039]]
not later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice,
pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.
Notification to Importers
This notice also 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 period.
Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's
presumption that reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing
duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping
duties, and/or an increase in the amount of antidumping duties by the
amount of the countervailing duties.
Notification to Interested Parties
We are issuing and publishing these preliminary results in
accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR
351.213(h)(1).
Dated: August 19, 2025.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix
List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the Order
IV. Discussion of the Methodology
V. Currency Conversion
VI. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2025-16154 Filed 8-21-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 22, 2025.
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