| WASHINGTON,
Sept.15, 2000--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced the
fiscal year 2001 tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for raw, refined, and specialty
sugar.
The
U.S. Department of Agriculture has established the FY 2001 TRQ for imports
of sugar into the United States at 1,360,983 metric tons raw value
(1,500,227 short tons raw value). The total includes a quantity for raw
sugar of 1,117,195 metric tons raw value, the minimum level to which the
United States is committed under the Uruguay Round Agreement; a quantity
for refined sugar of 38,000 metric tons raw value; 105,788 metric tons raw
value, which is the additional amount that the United States is committed
to provide to Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement; and
100,000 metric tons raw value to be allocated, if needed, contingent on
developments in international markets. USDA will make available all but
the contingent quantity to the U.S. Trade Representative for allocation
for import into the U.S. customs territory.
Pursuant
to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, USDA has
established the FY 2001 raw sugar TRQ at 1,222,983 metric tons raw value
(1,348,108 short tons raw value). Certificates of Quota Eligibility (CQEs)
will be issued to allow Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the
Philippines to ship up to 25 percent of each country’s initial
allocation at the low-tier tariff during each quarter of FY 2001.
Argentina, Australia, Guatemala, and Peru will be allowed to ship up to 50
percent of their initial allocations in the first six months of FY 2001.
Allocations not entered with the U.S. Customs Service during any quarter
or six-month period may be entered in any subsequent period. The shipping
pattern for Mexico will be determined at a later date. For all other
countries, CQEs corresponding to each country’s allocation may be
entered at the low-tier tariff at any time during the fiscal year.
In
addition, USDA has established the FY 2001 refined sugar TRQ at 143,788
metric tons raw value (158,499 short tons raw value) for which the sucrose
content, by weight, in the dry state, must have a polarimeter reading of
99.5 degrees or more. USDA established the specialty sugar allocation, a
subset of the refined sugar TRQ, at 17,656 metric tons raw value (19,462
short tons raw value) which must have a polarity of at least 99.5 degrees
and be accompanied by a specialty sugar certificate. |