The U.S. Department of Agriculture on May 4 raised the 2015-16 specialty sugar tariff-rate quota (T.R.Q.) by 22,046 short tons, raw value (20,000 tonnes) to “accommodate increased U.S. demand for organic sugar and other specialty sugars.”
The additional sugar may enter the United States beginning May 9. The 2016-17 (beginning Oct. 1, 2016) raw cane sugar T.R.Q. was set at 1,231,497 tons (1,117,195 tonnes), the minimum required under World Trade Organization agreements and unchanged from 2015-16. The refined T.R.Q. for next year was set at 178,575 tons (162,000 tonnes), including 156,149 tons reserved for specialty sugars.
The 2016-17 refined T.R.Q. was up 33,070 tons from this year’s initial level. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative allocates the raw and refined sugar T.R.Q.s, while specialty sugar imports are on a first-come, first-served basis in five specific tranches.
