Rogers Sugar welcomes decision to uphold tariffs

By Tim Kalinowski on August 12, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

Rogers Sugar Inc. is welcoming a recent decision from the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) to continue to uphold tariffs on dumped and subsidized sugar from the United States, European Union and the United Kingdom.
“The Tribunal’s decision recognizes that Canadian sugar producers are vulnerable as long as the distortions created by the US, EU, and UK sugar programs continue,” stated Sandra Marsden, president of the Canadian Sugar Institute, in a statement released to the media late last week. “Thus far, global and regional trade negotiations have not resulted in a meaningful change to the one-way trade situation with the US, EU, and UK. Until these distortions are eliminated, Canada’s open sugar market represents an attractive destination for surplus sugar, and continuation of these duties is essential to restrict unfair competition.”
Rogers says the anti-dumping and countervailing duties applied to imported sugar are seen as essential to protecting Canada’s own homegrown sugar industry at the Lantic Taber plant and elsewhere.
“We are pleased that the CITT has recognized the unfair playing field and decided to maintain anti-dumping and countervailing duties,” stated John Holliday, president and CEO of Lantic. “This decision will help maintain an essential Canadian sugar industry that operates subject to world market conditions. In the context of the pandemic, many have recognized the importance of supporting Canadian food security and providing Canadian consumers and food manufacturers with a stable and reliable supply of goods.”
Last week Rogers Sugar Inc., which owns Lantic, announced it would be providing a quarterly dividend of $9.3 million to shareholders on the strength of 2021 sugar sales.
Alberta sugar beets were a significant factor in those sales given their special quota status under the new (CUSMA) free trade deal negotiated between the United States, Canada and Mexico, because they are Canada’s only domestically produced and manufactured sugar source. According to Rogers, this special status helped foster an extra 20,000 tonnes of sugar sales to the United States and Mexico so far this year.

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