WASHINGTON — The Office of the United States Trade Representative said today it had reallocated 81,946 tonnes of 2009-10 tariff rate quota raw cane sugar imports to countries more likely to export sugar from countries that said they cannot fill their quota allocations.
“Based on consultations with quota holding countries, U.S.T.R. is reallocating 81,946 tonnes raw value of the minimum amount of the original T.R.Q. for raw cane sugar from countries that have stated they will be unable to fill previously allocated fiscal year 2010 raw sugar T.R.Q. quantities,” the office said.
U.S. sugar users have petitioned the government to increase sugar import quotas, which under law may not be done before April 1 unless an emergency is declared. The reallocation did not change the total 2009-10 T.R.Q.
Twenty five countries received increased allocations, including 15,262 tonnes to the Dominican Republic, 12,574 tonnes to Brazil, 11,706 tonnes to the Philippines, 7,197 tonnes to Australia, 4,162 tonnes to Guatemala, 3,729 tonnes to Argentina, 3,555 tonnes to Peru, 2,515 tonnes to Panama, 2,255 tonnes to El Salvador, 2,081 tonnes to Colombia, 1,994 tonnes to South Africa, 1,821 tonnes to Nicaragua, 1,387 tonnes to Swaziland, 1,301 tonnes to Costa Rica, 1,214 tonnes to Thailand, 1,127 tonnes to Mozambique, 1,041 tonnes to Guyana, 1,041 tonnes to Zimbabwe, 954 tonnes to Belize, 954 tonnes to Ecuador, 954 tonnes to Jamaica, 867 tonnes to Honduras, 867 tonnes to Malawi, 694 tonnes to Bolivia and 694 tonnes to India.