Italy says US has sharply cut proposed pasta duties after a review

By Crispian Balmer

ROME, Jan 1 (Reuters) – The United States sharply lowered proposed new duties on several Italian pasta makers following a preliminary review of their alleged anti-dumping activities, the Italian foreign ministry said on Thursday.

A U.S. Commerce Department official said an updated analysis showed Italian exporters had addressed many of the concerns raised in an initial assessment.

In October, the United States said 13 Italian pasta companies would face an extra 92% duty, on top of the regular 15% tariff on most EU imports, accusing two producers in particular, La Molisana and Garofalo, of selling pasta at unfairly low prices.

Following its updated assessment, the U.S. decided to cut the tariff for La Molisana to 2.26%, while Garofalo’s rate was set at 13.98%, the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement. The remaining 11 producers, which were not individually examined in the review, face a tariff of 9.09%.

“The recalculation of the duties is a sign that U.S. authorities recognise our companies’ constructive willingness to cooperate,” the foreign ministry said.

A U.S. Department of Commerce official said in an email Washington was committed to a “fair, transparent process.”

“(Our) post-preliminary analysis indicates that Italian pasta makers have addressed many of Commerce’s concerns raised in the preliminary determination,” the official said. “Commerce will continue to engage with interested parties to take into account all information before issuing the final determination.”

This is scheduled for March 12, although the deadline could be extended by up to 60 days. The new duties on imports will only change once the full results are analysed, meaning there has been no increase in duties so far.

The 13 companies under review account for about 16% of U.S. pasta imports from Italy.

The threatened pasta tariffs had been an embarrassment to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had hoped her close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump would shield Italian companies from any additional tariffs.

Italy’s total pasta exports were worth over 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in 2024, according to data from national statistics agency ISTAT. The U.S. market was worth almost $800 million to Italian firms.

Margherita Mastromauro, president of the pasta makers sector of Unione Italiana Food association, welcomed the move to slash the proposed new tariffs.

“The decision by U.S. authorities confirms that the United States is a country attentive to Italy and the fate of our economy,” she said in a statement.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Ros Russell and Chris Reese)