USDA Boosts Sugar Quota

WASHINGTON - Aug 8/08 - SNS -- The USDA increased the 2008 refined sugar TRQ for the United States to help relieve tight supplies on domestic refined sugar due to significantly reduced domestic refining capacity resulting from the February 2008 explosion of a domestic raw cane sugar refinery and a reduction in this coming crop year's sugar beet production.

USDA lifted the 2008 refined sugar TRQ of 300,000 STRV. This sugar must be user-quality, white sugar, not for further processing, and have a sucrose content, by weight in the dry state, corresponding to a reading of 99.5 degrees polarity or more.

This addition to the refined sugar TRQ will open on a first-come, first-served basis on August 14, 2008, and may be entered until December 31, 2008. Sugar entering under this additional refined sugar TRQ must be in containers of 120 metric tons or less. The authority for modification of TRQs is the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, Chapter 17, Additional U.S. note 5. The U.S. Trade Representative will shortly announce country allocations of this TRQ increase.