PAGO PAGO (Pacnews) — The U.S. Senate has passed the Andean Trade Preference Act by a vote of 66-30, but the good news for American Samoa is that the quota on canned tuna imports from Andean countries allowed duty free entry into the United States was left intact.
The Senate bill limits canned tuna imports to 20 percent of the U.S. domestic canned tuna production in the preceding calendar year. The U.S. House of Representatives version of the trade bill gives unlimited duty free privileges to canned tuna from Andean countries.
Congressman Faleomavaega Eni, D-A. Samoa, said the House and Senate must now meet in conference to reconcile their different versions of the bill.
Faleomavaega thanked Sen. John Brueax, D-La., for sponsoring the compromise on tuna. He also expressed his appreciation to Dennis Mussell, president and CEO of Chicken of the Sea International/Samoa Packing, Chris Lischewski, CEO of Bumble Bee, and U.S. tuna boat owners Paul Krampe and Julius Zolezzi.
Samoa Packing had predicted the loss of up to 1,000 jobs at their Pago Pago cannery if tuna from Andean countries was given the same duty privileges as tuna exports from American Samoa.
Star Kist Samoa, the larger of the two canneries, has been lobbying strongly for the Andean trade bill, saying that it will not have any impact on their local operations.
