The International Trade Administration’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness will meet June 4 at 10 a.m. ET in Washington, D.C. The committee will continue to discuss topics raised at previous meetings, such as trade and competitiveness; freight movement and policy; information technology and data requirements; regulatory issues; and finance and infrastructure, the ITA said. The final agenda for the meeting will be posted one week before the meeting (here). The meeting will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, but space will be limited, the ITA said.

The Census Bureau's Automated Export System branch is hosting the first webinar in its "Go Global" series on May 7 from 1-2 p.m. EDT. The topic is "Where to Get Started -- International Trade Administration, Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee." Registration closes May 6 (register and see the listing of upcoming Census webinars here).

Decreasing imports of consumer goods helped fuel a drop in the international trade deficit in goods and services for March. The deficit was $38.8 billion in March, down from $43.6 billion in February, said the Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis. Exports in March decreased by about $2 billion, while imports decreased by $6.5 billion. The drop in exports largely reflected decreases in the foods, feeds and beverages category. The February to March decrease in imports included a $3.4 billion drop in consumer goods and a $1.5 billion drop in capital goods. Exports of services increased by $0.1 billion in March, while service imports decreased the same amount.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for May 2:

The Census Bureau and Association of Small Business Development Centers are hosting an Automated Export System Compliance Seminar in Glen Ellyn, Illinois from May 15-16. Census Bureau experts will cover Foreign Trade Regulations filing requirements, commodity classification in Schedule B, and an overview of AES. The second day will feature a AESPcLink Workshop. Both seminars will be held at the College of Dupage.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for April 30:

The Foreign-Trade Zones Board approved a new FTZ in Chenango County, New York, according to the county’s chamber of commerce. Foreign-Trade Zone No. 285, approved on March 25, will be the 15th authorized FTZ in the state of New York, the chamber said. Chenango County is located in New York’s “Southern Tier,” in the center of the state.

Representatives from 20 companies will join Commerce Department officials on an infrastructure business development trade mission to Central and South America, from May 12-18. The mission will visit Sao Paulo, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; and Panama City, Panama. The following businesses were selected for the trade mission:

The International Trade Administration is seeking comment on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the U.S. during the period July 1 through Dec. 31, 2012. Comments are due by May 28.

The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for April 24: