US cuts proposed tariffs on Italian pasta exporters

The U.S. has significantly reduced proposed tariffs on 13 Italian pasta exporters, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. 

The pasta-makers previously faced a potential 92 percent duty after the agency determined they were selling their pasta at unfairly low prices. Proposed tariffs on Garofalo were cut down to 13.89 percent, while those on La Molisana were reduced to 2.26 percent. The other 11 companies now face a 9.09 percent tariff. 

“This post-preliminary analysis indicates that Italian pasta makers have addressed many of Commerce’s concerns raised in the preliminary determination, and reflects Commerce’s commitment to a fair, transparent process,” a Commerce Department spokesperson said in a statement.  

“Commerce will continue to engage with interested parties to take into account all information before issuing the final determination,” they continued. 

The agency is set to release its final results on March 12, opening up the analysis for comment in the meantime. It initially launched a review of Italian pasta exports in August 2024 following “requests by interested parties.”

Anti-dumping or countervailing duties are meant to offset the dumping of products at an artificially low price in U.S. markets. 

The decision to ease pasta tariffs comes as President Trump separately opted to delay duties on imported furniture Wednesday. The president signed a proclamation pushing back the tariff hike by one year, citing “ongoing productive negotiations.” 

Trump has frequently turned to tariffs as a policy tool in his second term, placing expansive import taxes on countries around the world as part of a push to address what he has alleged are unfair trading practices.