[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48507-48508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20751]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE


Fiscal Year 2019 Tariff-Rate Quota Allocations for Refined and 
Specialty Sugar and Sugar-Containing Products

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is 
providing notice of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 (Oct. 1, 2018 through 
Sept. 30, 2019) in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quotas for imports 
of certain sugars, syrups and molasses (also known as refined sugar), 
specialty sugar, and sugar-containing products.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dylan Daniels, Office of Agricultural 
Affairs at 202-395-6095 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Additional U.S. Note 5 to 
Chapter 17 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTS), the United States maintains tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for 
imports of refined sugar. Pursuant to Additional U.S. Note 8 to Chapter 
17 of the HTS, the United States maintains a TRQ for imports of sugar-
containing products. Section 404(d)(3) of the Uruguay Round Agreements 
Act (19 U.S.C. 3601(d)(3)) authorizes the President to allocate the in-
quota quantity of a TRQ for any agricultural product among supplying 
countries or customs areas. The President delegated this authority to 
the U.S. Trade Representative under Presidential Proclamation 6763 (60 
FR 1007).
    On June 29, 2018, the Secretary of Agriculture announced the 
establishment of the in-quota quantity for the FY 2019 refined sugar 
TRQ at 192,000 metric tons raw value (MTRV) for which the sucrose 
content, by weight in the dry state, must have a polarimeter reading of 
99.5 degrees or more. This

[[Page 48508]]

amount includes the minimum quantity to which the United States is 
committed under the WTO Agreement--22,000 MTRV, of which 1,656 MTRV is 
reserved for specialty sugar--and an additional 170,000 MTRV for 
specialty sugars. The U.S. Trade Representative is allocating 10,300 
MTRV of refined sugar to Canada, 2,954 MTRV to Mexico, and 7,090 MTRV 
of refined sugar to be administered on a first-come, first-served 
basis.
    Imports of all specialty sugar will be administered on a first-
come, first-served basis in five tranches. The Secretary has announced 
that the total in-quota quantity of specialty sugar will be the 1,656 
MTRV included in the WTO minimum plus an additional 170,000 MTRV. The 
first tranche of 1,656 MTRV will open October 1, 2018. All types of 
specialty sugars are eligible for entry under this tranche. The second 
tranche of 50,000 MTRV will open on October 10, 2018. The third tranche 
of 50,000 MTRV each will open on January 23, 2019. The fourth and fifth 
tranches, both of 35,000 MTRV, will open on April 17, 2019 and July 17, 
2019, respectively. The second, third, fourth, and fifth tranches will 
be reserved for organic sugar and other specialty sugars not currently 
produced commercially in the United States or reasonably available from 
domestic sources.
    With respect to the in-quota quantity of 64,709 metric tons 
(conversion factor: 1 metric ton = 1.10231125 short tons) of the TRQ 
for imports of certain sugar-containing products maintained under 
Additional U.S. Note 8 to Chapter 17 of the HTS, the U.S. Trade 
Representative is allocating 59,250 metric tons to Canada. The 
remainder, 5,459 metric tons, of the in-quota quantity is available for 
other countries on a first-come, first-served basis.
    Refined and specialty sugar and sugar-containing products for FY 
2019 TRQs may enter the United States as of October 1, 2018.

Robert Lighthizer,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2018-20751 Filed 9-24-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F8-P