The Sweetener Users Association (SUA) appreciates the role that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative plays in administering U.S. sugar policies, in particular the allocation of the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs). You are no doubt aware that operating U.S. sugar policy requires balance and judgment. To a greater extent than for most other commodities, sugar policies have a significant impact on marketplace conditions, such as price and supply. By the same token, changes in market conditions sometimes dictate the need for sugar policy adjustments, and that is the case now.
The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 9 show, on the surface, an adequate level of sugar stocks, specifically a stocks-to-use ratio of 15.1 percent. But market conditions are considerably tighter than the ratio suggests.
Read more below.