Washington, D.C. – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative today announced country-specific and first-come, first-served in-quota additional allocations under the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on imported raw cane sugar, refined and specialty sugar and sugar-containing products for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 (October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020). TRQs allow countries to export specified quantities of a product into 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 April 3, 2020, (85 FR 18913) the Secretary of Agriculture announced an additional in-quota quantity of the TRQ for raw cane sugar for the remainder of FY 2020 (ending September 30, 2020) in the amount of 317,515 metric tons raw value (MTRV). This quantity is in addition to the minimum amount to which the United States is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay

Round Agreements (1,117,195 MTRV). USTR is allocating this additional quantity of 317,515 MTRV to the following countries in the amounts specified below:

Country FY 2020 Raw Sugar TRQ Increase Allocation (MTRV) Argentina 19,185 Australia 37,032 Barbados 3,123 Belize 4,908 Bolivia 3,569 Brazil 64,694 Colombia 10,708 Costa Rica 6,692 DR 30,000 Ecuador 4,908 El Salvador 11,600 Eswatini (Swaziland) 7,139 Fiji 4,015 Guatemala 21,417 Guyana 5,354 Honduras 4,462 India 3,569 Malawi 4,462 Mauritius 5,354 Mozambique 5,800 Nicaragua 9,369 Panama 10,000 Peru 18,293 South Africa 10,262 Thailand 6,246 Zimbabwe 5,354 Total 317,515

USTR based these allocations on the countries’ 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 for which an allocation has been provided.

The Secretary of Agriculture also announced an increase in the FY 2020 refined sugar TRQ of 181,437 MTRV. USTR is allocating 5,000 MTRV of the additional quantity to Canada and the rest of the increase (176,437 MTRV) to the global tariff-rate quota, which may be supplied by any country on a first-come, first-served basis in seven tranches as follows:

Month Day FY 2020 Refined Sugar TRQ Increased Allocation (MTRV) April 13 95,000 April 27 20,000 May 11 15,000 May 18 12,000 June 1 12,000 June 15 12,000 June 29 10,437

No certificate for quota eligibility is required for sugar entering under the global TRQ for refined sugar.

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

To read the notice in the Federal Register, click here.

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