Washington, DC (July 24, 2017) – Today, the Sweetener Users Association (SUA) welcomed action taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase raw sugar supplies.
“We commend Secretary Perdue and his staff at USDA for monitoring the U.S. sugar market situation and taking necessary action to increase raw sugar supplies by 414,000 metric tons to meet demand. An adequate supply of sugar at reasonable prices is critical to U.S. food and beverage companies of all sizes being able to make and sell the goods they produce, maintain their competitiveness and create and sustain American jobs.
“Often lost in the conversation about U.S. sugar policy is the fact that the United States is a net importer of sugar, meaning not enough sugar is produced by the U.S. domestic industry, so imports are critical.
“Uncertainty in the sugar market has only increased since the amended U.S.-Mexico suspension agreements made the bad deal that is the U.S. sugar program worse for American companies and consumers. Because it is widely anticipated that Mexico will be unable to supply the full amount of U.S. needs during the coming fiscal year, it is likely that USDA will again need to consider a TRQ increase in the near future. America’s sweetener users will continue to work with USDA and, as appropriate, request additional TRQ increases to ensure the market is adequately supplied. In addition, we will continue working with Congress to reform the U.S. sugar program to provide USDA more flexibility to allow sugar imports when necessary.”
Media Contact:
Jennifer Cummings
(202) 822-9491
[email protected]
