Administering Sugar Imports
Raw cane sugar, refined
sugar, sugar syrups, specialty sugars and
sugar-containing products enter the United
States under a variety of tariff-rate quotas (TRQs).
A tariff-rate quota provides for a low tariff on
a certain quantity (the quota amount), and a
higher tariff on any quantity above the level of
the quota. Under the WTO (Uruguay Round) and
some other free trade agreements, the United
States has committed to minimum annual low-duty
access amounts for certain sugars and
sugar-containing products. Sugar and any
related products paying the high tariff may
enter in unlimited quantities.
The USDA also administers
three re-export programs involving sugar. The
USDA’s Sugar-Containing Products Re-Export
Program is designed to put U.S. manufacturers of
sugar-containing products on a level playing
field in the world market. The Refined Sugar
Re-Export Program is designed to facilitate the
use of domestic refining capacity to export
refined sugar into the world market. The Sugar
for the Production of Polyhydric Alcohol Program
is established to provide world priced sugar to
U.S. manufacturers of polyhydric alcohols.
Fact Sheet: Background on all FAS sugar
import activities
Sugar Under
Tariff Rate Quotas
(Raw Sugar TRQ; Refined
Sugar TRQ; Specialty Sugar TRQ)
Sugar Re-Export Programs
—
Refined Sugar Re-Export
—
Sugar-Contained Products
—
Polyhydric Alcohol
Sugar Trade Provisions in Free Trade Agreements
Sugar Monthly Import
and Re-Export Data Report
