THE Philippines has received an additional US raw sugar export quota of 9,151 metric tons raw value (MTRV) for the period Oct. 1, 2026-Sept. 30, 2027, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced Wednesday.
MTRV is a standard measure of sugar volume based on raw-sugar equivalent.
The additional allocation raises the Philippines’ total quota for US exports in fiscal year 2027 to 154,386 MTRV. The country was initially allocated 145,235 MTRV in July.
Under a tariff-rate quota, countries may export a specified volume of sugar to the US at a lower tariff. Shipments exceeding the quota are subject to a higher tariff.
The US set its overall raw cane sugar quota for fiscal year 2027 at 1.12 million MTRV, the minimum volume it is required to accept under its World Trade Organization commitments.
After allocating about 1.06 million MTRV in July, the USTR distributed the remaining 55,993 MTRV among 28 countries.
The Dominican Republic received the largest share of the latest allocation at 11,931 MTRV, followed by the Philippines and Australia, which received 5,626 MTRV.
Shipments covered by the quota must have a Certificate of Quota Eligibility and comply with US rules verifying the sugar’s country of origin.
Meanwhile, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has asked the US Department of Agriculture for more time to formally commit to supplying the Philippine quota.
“We wrote to the USDA asking for an extension of the deadline for making a formal commitment. We [first] need to monitor and verify our raw sugar production,” SRA Administrator Pablo Azcona said Thursday.
SRA data showed raw sugar production had fallen by 11 percent to 1.85 million MT as of Sept. 6, from 2.08 million MT a year earlier. Refined sugar production, however, rose by 11.6 percent to 689,808 MT from 618,103 MT.
To increase output without expanding plantation areas, the SRA set the planting calendar from Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027. The longer growing period is intended to allow sugarcane to mature fully and develop a higher sugar content.
