This week, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., brought out a resolution to “zero out the foreign subsidies that make sugar the world’s most distorted commodity market.”
Cammack introduced the resolution on Thursday with U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., as the main co-sponsor.
“The resolution promotes sound, fair sugar policy that protects domestic producers against foreign abuses, eliminating America’s no-cost sugar policy in exchange for the elimination of all foreign sugar subsidies,” Cammack’s office noted. “Foreign countries including Brazil, India, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, and the European Union have subsidized artificially cheap sugar on the global market at the expense of the American sugar industry.”
Cammacks’s office offered a look at the subsidies offered by some of those nations.
“Brazil provides direct and indirect subsidies of at least $2.5 billion/year; India provides at least $1.7 billion/year in subsidy supports for its inefficient sugar industry, Thailand has more than tripled its sugar exports since 2004 with $1.3 billion/year in subsidies and government price-fixing,” Cammack’s office added.
“Time and again, the survival of American sugar producers is threatened by the unfair practices and dumping of cheap sugar subsidized by foreign countries,” said Cammack. “Free trade must also be fair trade, and we cannot abandon our own production capabilities in favor of cheap imports that destroy livelihoods and our markets—after all, food security is national security. I’m proud to introduce this resolution that will ensure a level playing field and preserve family operations.”
“American sugar farmers are the best in the world, and they want to be able to compete fairly to sell their products. Unfortunately, other countries like Brazil, Thailand and India have unfair sugar subsidies and regularly dump their surplus sugar on the world market, posing a constant threat to American family farms,” said Kildee. “That’s why we need an American sugar program to support our farmers. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution to combat unfair trade practices and protect American farmers.”
Cammack reeled in eight co-sponsors for the resolution besides Kildee including U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy. The resolution was sent to the U.S. House Ways and Means and the Agriculture Committees.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
