U.S. allows more raw cane sugar imports
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Tuesday announced country-specific allocations of additional fiscal year 2010 in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for imported raw cane sugar.
TRQs allow countries to export specified quantities of a product to the United States at a relatively low tariff, but subject all imports of the product above a pre-determined threshold to a higher tariff.
The additional sugar TRQ for the remainder of the fiscal year (ending Sept. 30) includes 272,155 metric tons raw value. This quantity is in addition to the minimum amount to which the United States is committed under the World Trade Organization Uruguay Round Agreements, as well as additional to the amount announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on April 23. The total amount of in-quota quantity raw cane sugar authorized so far in fiscal year 2010 is 1.57 million metric tons.
The biggest in-quota quantities in this second fiscal year round were allocated to Argentina (16,953 metric tons), Australia (32,723 metric tons), Brazil (57,166 metric tons), Dominican Republic (21,200 metric tons), Guatemala (18,924 metric tons), and Peru (16,164 metric tons).
These allocations are based on the countries' historical shipments to the United States. 'The allocations of the raw cane sugar TRQ to countries that are net importers of sugar are conditioned on receipt of the appropriate verifications of origin, and certificates for quota eligibility must accompany imports from any country to which an allocation is provided,' the USTR said.