The Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Sugar Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) openings for imports of raw cane sugar, refined sugar, and specialty sugar were announced on June 30, 2017, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The country specific TRQ allocations for raw cane sugar, refined sugar, specialty sugar and sugar-containing products were announced by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on July 14, 2017.
The 2018 FY covers the period October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018, although some quotas may potentially fill upon opening.
Sugar Quota amounts and allocations:
Raw – For raw cane sugar, the FY 2018 TRQ will be 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), and opens on October 2, 2017. Raw cane sugar under this TRQ must be accompanied by a certificate of quota eligibility (CQE). Country specific allocations are available in the USTR Federal Register Notice.
Refined – For refined sugar the FY 2018 TRQ will be 182,000 MTRV. Of this quantity, 161,656 MTRV is reserved for the importation of specialty sugars. The 2018 Quota period opens on October 2, 2017.
The USTR allocated 10,300,000 kg of refined sugar to Canada, and 2,954,000 kg to Mexico. The Canadian and Mexican quotas require a Certificate of Quota Eligibility (CQE).
Open to all countries is a refined sugar allotment of 7,090,000 kg which will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis, and is expected to oversubscribe at opening.
Specialty – For specialty sugar imports will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis in five tranches, as follows:
- First tranche -opens October 2, 2017, and totals 1,656,000 kg, with all specialty sugar eligible for entry under this tranche.
The next two tranches will each be reserved for 48,000,000 kg:
- Second tranche –opens October 18, 2017
- Third tranche -opens January 23, 2018
The remaining two tranches will each be reserved for 32,000,000 kg:
- Fourth tranche -opens April 17, 2018
- Fifth tranche –opens July 17, 2018
The second through fifth tranches require a “Specialty Sugar Certificate” issued by the USDA, and are reserved for organic sugar and other specialty sugars not currently produced commercially in the United States or reasonably available from domestic sources.
Sugar containing products – For sugar containing products of Additional U.S. Note 8 to Chapter 17 to the US Tariff, the FY 2018 TRQ will be 64,709 MTRV. The USTR allocated 59,250 MTRV to Canada. The remainder, 5,459 MTRV, is available for other countries on a first-come, first-served basis.
TRQs allow countries to export specified quantities of a product to the United States at a relatively low tariff, but subject all imports of the product above a pre-determined threshold to a higher tariff.
If you have any questions regarding tariff rate quota for sugar in the 2018 fiscal year, Livingston can help! Please contact either your Livingston account manager or our U.S. Regulatory Affairs Group at usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com.