Anyone planning to attend the AFI convention who has not made his/her hotel reservation is encouraged to do so as soon as possible. The hotel will likely be sold out within the next few days. Information on the convention is available at www.afius.org or by calling the AFI office.
Work continues regarding the update to the AFI Cashew Standard. A meeting was held recently in which the suggested revisions received to date were reviewed. Based on input from that meeting, a revised document was drafted and circulated to members of the cashew industry around the world, with an invitation for them to provide additional feedback.
Representatives from SINDICAJU, CEPC, VINACAS and the African Cashew Alliance have indicated they will attend a meeting to discuss the standards that will take place during the AFI Convention.
Among the information all members have received or will receive shortly related to AFI are:
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2007 dues invoice. Those who have not yet paid must do so immediately to retain their membership.
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Information on reports available from AFI; subscription renewal forms for existing subscribers.
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Information on the 2007 AFI Annual. The last day to reserve ads is April 9!
AFI had a booth at the SIAL show in Montreal, Canada, March 28-30. AFI also hosted a reception at the show. The reception and booth provided AFI with a forum to reach companies selling product to the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Many thanks to the following AFI members who gave up some of their valuable time to man the AFI booth for part of the show: Carlo Orlando, Orlando Foods; Banu Sinar, Setton International Foods, Vincent Arguimbau, Arguimbau & Co.; Sig Jonssen, Dana Imports; and Gerry Horn, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg.
AFI’s next scheduled reception will be at ANUGA in October. Look for details shortly.
CBP Warns of Penalties for Violations of Wood Packaging Material Regulations. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that effective March 9 it may issue claims for liquidated damages and/or penalties against importers, carriers or bonded custodians for importing wood packaging material in violation of the regulations specifying how such material must be treated before it can enter the U.S. CBP said liquidated damages result from a breach of obligation under bond. When violations occur, liquidated damages and/or penalties will be assessed based on the value of the merchandise, which is considered to be the value of the WPM plus the value of the commodity or commodities identified for importation on the entry documentation. The liquidated damages claim may be issued at three times the entered value of the merchandise but not greater than the bond amount.
WPM covered by the regulations includes items such as pallets, crates, boxes and pieces of wood used to support or brace cargo. Also covered is WPM imported as cargo, such as a container or truckload of new or unused pallets. The regulations do not apply to products such as manufactured items, such as worked wood items, even if they are used to contain other non-regulated merchandise; manufactured wood, such as fiberboard, plywood, polywood, whisky and wine barrels, strand board and veneers; loose wood packing materials such as sawdust and wood shavings, and WPM made from Canadian-origin wood or U.S.-origin wood (or a combination of the two) when used in trade between these two countries.
Under the WPM regulations, which have been in full enforcement since July 5, 2006, all WPM entering or transiting through the U.S. must be properly marked to indicate that it has been either heat treated or treated with methyl bromide in accordance with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures: Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM 15). Such WPM must also be free of timber pests.
Rangel and Levin Introduce Bill to Extend ATPDEA. Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, Trade Subcommittee Chairman Sander Levin, D-Mich., and others introduced March 29 legislation to provide a two-year extension of trade preferences for the Andean nations of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. The bill would extend the preferences given under the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which are currently set to expire July 1. “Unless Congress extends these benefits, we risk losing some of the economic progress we’ve achieved with the Andean nations over the fifteen-year life of the program,” said Rangel. “I hope we can count on strong bipartisan support to get this legislation passed quickly. The extension of the preferences is an extension of our diplomacy and an investment in the people of the Andean region.”
April 26-29, 2007 – 2007 AFI Convention – Longboat Key Club, Longboat Key, Fla.
July 11, 2007 – North American Olive Oil Association Annual Meeting, New York.
