The Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Sugar Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) for imports of raw cane sugar, refined sugar, and specialty sugar were announced on June 29, 2018, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Country specific TRQ allocations for raw cane sugar were announced by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on July 17, 2018.
Canadian, Mexican, and global TRQ allocations for refined sugar, specialty sugar and sugar-containing products were announced by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on September 25, 2018.
The 2019 FY covers the period October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019, although some quotas may potentially fill upon opening.
Sugar Quota amounts and allocations:
Raw -For raw cane sugar, the FY 2019 TRQ will be 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), and opens on October 1, 2018. Raw cane sugar under this TRQ must be accompanied by a certificate of quota eligibility (CQE).
Refined -For refined sugar the FY 2019 TRQ will be 192,000 MTRV. Of this quantity, 170,000 MTRV is reserved for the importation of specialty sugars.
The 2019 Quota period opens on October 1, 2018.
The USTR allocated 10,300 MTRV of refined sugar to Canada, and 2,954 MTRV 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 MTRV 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 1, 2018, and totals 1,656 MTRV, with all specialty sugar eligible for entry under this tranche.
The next three tranches will each be reserved for 50,000 MTRV:
- Second tranche –opens October 10, 2018
- Third tranche -opens January 23, 2019
The remaining two tranches will each be reserved for 35,000 MTRV:
- Fourth tranche -opens April 17, 2019
- Fifth tranche –opens July 17, 2019
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 (AUSN) 8 to Chapter 17 to the US Tariff, the FY 2019 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.
The 2019 Quota period opens on October 1, 2018.
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 2019 fiscal year, Livingston can help! Please contact either your Livingston account manager or our U.S. Regulatory Affairs Group at usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com