U.S.D.A. Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook provides clearer near-term picture of industry

摘要

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook, published Jan. 29, was significant in that this report was the first published after the full implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as of Jan. 1. Under NAFTA, trade in sweeteners — sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) — is free and unencumbered by duties, tariffs, quotas or other impediments. The free flows of sweeteners between the two countries means that if a cane cutter in Vera Cruz sneezes, a beet sugar grower in North Dakota or a corn grower in Nebraska may wind up catching a cold and vice versa. Not surprisingly the U.S.D.A. report focuses both on the U.S. market and on "Mexican Sugar and HFCS Long-Term Projections through 2020."