USTR Press Release

Attachment 9 – USTR Press Release

U.S. Trade Representative Froman Announces FY 2015 WTO Tariff-Rate Quota Allocations for Raw Cane Sugar, Refined and Specialty Sugar and Sugar-Containing Products

Washington, D.C. – September 3, 2014. United States Trade Representative Michael Froman today announced the country-specific and first-come, first-served in-quota allocations under the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on imported raw cane sugar, refined and specialty sugar and sugar-containing products for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 (October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015). 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.

On September 2, 2014, the Secretary of Agriculture announced the establishment of the in-quota quantity for raw cane sugar for FY 2015. The in-quota quantity for the TRQ on raw cane sugar for FY 2015 is 1,117,195 metric tons* raw value (MTRV), which is the minimum amount to which the United States is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement.  The Office of the United State Trade Representative (USTR) is allocating the raw cane sugar TRQ of 1,117,195 MTRV to the following countries in the quantities specified below:

FY 2015 Raw Cane Sugar Allocations

Country	(MTRV)
Argentina	45,281
Australia	87,402
Barbados	7,371
Belize	11,584
Bolivia	8,424
Brazil	152,691
Colombia	25,273
Congo	7,258
Costa Rica	15,796
Cote d’Ivoire	7,258
Dominican Republic	185,335
Ecuador	11,584
El Salvador	27,379
Fiji	9,477
Gabon	7,258
Guatemala	50,546
Guyana	12,636
Haiti	7,258
Honduras	10,530
India	8,424
Jamaica	11,584
Madagascar	7,258
Malawi	10,530
Mauritius	12,636
Mexico	7,258
Mozambique	13,690
Nicaragua	22,114
Panama	30,538
Papua New Guinea	7, 258
Paraguay	7,258
Peru	43,175
Philippines	142,160
South Africa	24,220
St. Kitts & Nevis	7,258
Swaziland	16,849
Taiwan	12,636
Thailand	14,743
Trinidad & Tobago	7,371
Uruguay	7,258
Zimbabwe	12,636

These allocations are based on each country’s 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.

On September 2, 2014, the Secretary of Agriculture announced the establishment of the in-quota quantity for the FY 2015 refined sugar TRQ at 127,000 MTRV for which the sucrose content, by weight in the dry state, must have a polarimeter reading of 99.5 degrees or more. This amount includes the minimum quantity to which the United States is committed under the WTO Agreement—22,000 MTRV, of which 1,656 MTRV is reserved for specialty sugar—and an additional 105,000 MTRV for specialty sugars. USTR is allocating 10,300 MTRV of refined sugar to Canada, 2,954 to Mexico, and 7,090 MTRV of refined sugar to be administered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Imports of all specialty sugar will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis in five tranches.  The Secretary has announced that the total in-quota quantity of specialty sugar will be the 1,656 MTRV included in the WTO minimum plus an additional 105,000 MTRV.  The first tranche of 1,656 MTRV will open October 10, 2014.  All types of specialty sugars are eligible for entry under this tranche.  The second tranche of 38,850 MTRV will open on October 24, 2014.  The third, fourth, and fifth tranches of 22,050 MTRV each will open on January 9, 2015, April 10, 2015 and July 10, 2015, respectively.  The second, third, fourth and fifth tranches will be reserved for organic sugar and other specialty sugars not currently produced commercially in the United States or reasonably available from domestic sources.

With respect to the in-quota quantity of 64,709 metric tons (MT) of the TRQ for imports of certain sugar-containing products maintained under Additional U.S. Note 8 to chapter 17 of the HTS, USTR is allocating 59,250 MT to Canada.  The remainder of the in-quota quantity, 5,459 MT, is available for other countries on a first-come, first-served basis.

Raw cane sugar, refined and specialty sugar and sugar-containing products for FY 2015 TRQs may enter the United States as of October 1, 2014.

 

*Conversion factor: 1 metric ton = 1.10231125 short tons.