US maintains Phl sugar quota

MANILA, Philippines - The United States has kept the country-specific in-quota allocation for Philippine raw cane sugar this current crop year.

In an announcement posted on the website of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the agency announced that for the current sugar crop year, the Philippines has an allocation of 142,160 metric tons raw value (MTRV), equivalent to  138,000 MT in commercial value.  

The US tariff-rate quota for raw sugar allow countries to export specified quantities of a product to the US at a relatively low tariff.

The US in-quota allocation for crop year 2013-2014 is placed at 1.117 million MTRV, the  minimum amount committed by the US to the World Trade Organization.

The allocation for the Philippines is the third largest next to Brazil (152, 691 MTRV) and at Dominican Republic (185, 335 MTRV).

Philippine sugar production for crop year 2013-2014 is projected to reach 2.45 million metric tons, roughly the same level as the actual production of 2.45 million MT in the previous crop year.

Of the total projected volume, two percent is allocated for for A sugar or US sugar quota, 12 percent for “D” sugar or world market sugar, and 86 percent to “B” sugar or domestic market.

The allocation for the US this year is lower because of the huge carry over of volume of more than 80,000 MT of “A” sugar from the previous crop year.