The USDA has relaxed import restrictions on raw sugar in response to a projected decrease in domestic cane production.
U.S. cane producers ended up with a higher government marketing allocation this year than they could fulfill due to crop damage from a January freeze in Florida.
The cane industry was initially allocated 4.2 million tons, but will actually market less than 3.9 million tons due to production declines.
By reassigning some domestic allocations to imports, the USDA on April 12 increased the tariff rate quota — the amount of foreign sugar that can be imported before high tariffs kick in — by 325,000 tons.
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