On December 31, 2020, and on January 12, 2021, in Cargo Systems Messaging Service (CSMS) #45325918 and #45491702, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued guidance on changes to the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), the extension of duty-free rates for certain agricultural products from Israel, and the reduction of duty rates from the European Union Agreement.

The guidance includes several modifications:

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo is reinstated as a lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African country under AGOA effective January 1, 2021.
• The benefits for certain agricultural products under the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement are extended through December 31, 2021.
• Duty reductions resulting from the agreement with the European Union reached on November 20, 2020 are retroactive to August 1, 2020. Additional duty reductions will be effective August 1, 2021.

CSMS #45325918 can be found here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-2b39e5e?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2

CSMS #45491702 can be found here:

https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-2b625f6?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2