An executive with the American Apparel and Footwear Association says retailers aren't taking full advantage of trade preference programs such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and others because, "People are still trying to understand how the programs work."
As a first step, critics assert that U.S. Customs needs to finalize regulations surrounding the programs. Furthermore, the interim regulations currently in place have "led to confusion, uneven implementation, and in some cases, restrictive interpretations that have minimized the benefits of the programs," said another executive with the industry group.
Both the AGOA and CBTPA reached their 4-year anniversary mark last October.
