Italy’s foreign ministry says the United States has sharply lowered proposed duties on several Italian pasta makers following a reassessment of their US activities.
In October, the United States said that 13 Italian pasta companies would face an extra 92 per cent duty – on top of the regular 15 per cent rate on most European Union imports – from January 2026, accusing two producers in particular, La Molisana and Garofalo, of selling pasta at unfairly low prices.
However, after a review, the US Department of Commerce cut the tariff for La Molisana to 2.26 per cent while Garofalo’s rate was set at 13.98 per cent, 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 per cent.
“The recalculation of the duties is a sign that US authorities recognise our companies’ constructive willingness to co-operate,” the foreign ministry said.
It added that the full conclusions of the US review would be released on March 11, adding that the ministry would continue to provide help to the companies affected in the coming weeks.
The threatened pasta tariffs had been an embarrassment to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who had hoped that her close ties with US President Donald Trump would shield Italian companies from any additional tariffs.
Italy’s total pasta exports were worth more than 4 billion euros ($A7 billion) in 2024, according to data from national statistics agency ISTAT.
The US market was worth almost $US800 million ($A1.2 billion) to Italian firms.