WASHINGTON - The Office of the United States Trade Representative today announced the country-by-country tariff-rate quota allocations of the raw cane sugar, refined sugar, and sugar-containing products for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004. A tariff-rate quota is an import policy that allows countries to ship specified quantities of a product to the United States at a relatively low tariff, but subjects all other imports of that product to a higher tariff.

The Secretary of Agriculture established the in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quota for raw cane sugar for FY 2004 at 1,117,195 metric tons. This is the minimum level to which the United States is committed to under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement. The country-by-country allocations are:

These allocations are based on the countries' historical shipments to the United States. The allocations of the raw cane sugar tariff-rate quota to countries that are net importers of sugar are conditioned on receipt of the appropriate verifications of origin.

This allocation includes the following minimum-quota countries: Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Haiti, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Uruguay.

The in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quota for refined sugar for FY 2004 has been established by the Secretary of Agriculture at 39,000 metric tons, raw value (42,990 short tons). Of this, the Secretary reserved 18,656 metric tons (20,565 short tons) for specialty sugars. Of the quantity not reserved for specialty sugar, 10,300 metric tons (11,354 short tons) is allocated to Canada and 2,954 metric tons (3,256 short tons) is allocated to Mexico. The remaining 7,090 metric tons (7,815 short tons) of the in-quota quantity may be supplied by any country, subject to any other provision of law, on a first-come, first-served basis. The 18,656 metric tons reserved for specialty sugars may also be supplied by any country, subject to any other provision of law, on a first-come, first-served basis.

With respect to the tariff-rate quota of 64,709 metric tons (71,329 short tons) for certain sugar-containing products maintained under Additional U.S. Note 8 to chapter 17 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 59,250 metric tons (65,312 short tons) is being allocated to Canada. The remainder of the sugar-containing products tariff-rate quota is available for other countries on a first-come, first-served basis.

Conversion factor: 1 metric ton = 1.10231125 short tons.

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