新方法需要糖,美國農業部說

報告稱,美國糖製造商競爭力在國內和進口市場的高價格我們糖。報告指美國糖業政策是罪魁禍首。“我們糖項目使用國內市場分配、價格支持和關稅配額影響糖可用的數量我們市場。”研究員斯蒂芬•哈雷和米爾阿裏說報告。”計劃的影響一直在支持我們糖的價格水平高於世界市場的水平。”他們還說美國糖計劃的有效性將挑戰在2008年與墨西哥甜味劑限製被北美自由貿易協定。糖的政策也一直在石油價格高企的壓力下,對乙醇的需求日益增加,導致更高的生產成本糖生產商。然而,它說,高昂的石油價格也幫助平衡全球食糖價格。這之際,聯合國糧農組織(FAO)宣布了一項全球對糖的需求上升,將會增加生產。該公司表示,這將導致一個更穩定的市場和價格。糖交貨對我們食品生產商在1999年達到頂峰,5.63噸,2003年跌至5噸。報告稱交付已經恢複增長,但2005年仍有200000噸低於1999年的水平。它指出糖的需求尤其強勁增長發生在non-chocolate蜜餞。報告表明,世界糖價格上漲可能意味著美國國內價格上漲,由於美國對進口的依賴。糧農組織報告稱糖出口預計將增長從墨西哥到美國明年由於消除北美自由貿易協定下的貿易限製。 However, the report suggests the rise in demand will reduce Mexico's exportable surplus. The US produced 7.5m tonnes of sugar in 2004, making it the fifth largest sugar producer in the world after China, India, Western Europe and Brazil. The USDA report said that the US also has the world's largest corn-based sweetener industry, and so if this production is added to the sugar total, US production of the combined sweeteners would be 16.4m tonnes. Sugar accounted for only 2.4 per cent of the US crops in 2004, with a value of $1.93bn (€1.4bn). It said US cane costs of production are twice as high as the world's lowest cost of producers, and is estimated to be higher than the production-weighted world average of all cane-producing countries. However, the US is the fourth largest importer of sugar in the world after the Middle East, Russian Federation and Western Europe, having imported 1.6m tonnes in 2004. The report said sugar imports into the US are likely to increase, particularly due to the trade agreement with Mexico. Lower demand and strong domestic production meant from 2000 to 2007, not including 2006, import share of consumption averaged 12.8 per cent. This is compared to the 17.3 to 17.8 per cent import share reported through the 1990s due to higher demand. The US, however, had to increase imports by 64 per cent in 2006 from that of 2005 due to hurricane damage in various regions, according to the report.