Other Trade Issues
Because the United States has never been self-sufficient in sugar production, American food and beverage manufacturers must rely on imports to meet consumer demand each year. These companies would welcome expanded production in the United States, but unfortunately this is largely precluded by the cartel-like supply control policies enacted by Congress at the behest of large sugar processors.
That’s why SUA supports efforts to modernize and streamline international trade policies — multilaterally in the World Trade Organization, regionally in trade pacts like the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and bilaterally in U.S. trade agreements with Colombia, Peru and Panama, among others.
SUA is fully engaged in advocating for competitive trade policies — by building alliances with U.S. farm groups, industrial groups and non-agricultural firms — to promote comprehensive agreements that include market-opening provisions on sugar because:
- Additional sources of supply encourage a more competitive U.S. sugar market;
- Excluding sugar from trade agreements permits other countries to also deny U.S. commodities export opportunities in new markets, including those that the U.S. farm and food sector can export competitively; and
- Expanding sugar trade reduces the price of sugar for U.S. food and beverage companies and consumers, boosts U.S. exports and supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs.
Our most recent efforts have been focused on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and potential trade agreements between the United States and both the United Kingdom and the European Union. We support trade agreements that are comprehensive, covering all products, and that provide additional access for our trading partners to the highly-protected U.S. sugar market.
Learn more about sugar and international trade from the following resources:
