By Landee Kieschnick
TFB Communications Intern
U.S. and Texas sugar farmers are hoping a strong farm policy and a new farm bill will positively impact extremely low sugar prices plaguing the industry, according to a representative of the American Sugar Alliance.
“What we need is a strong farm policy. We need to maintain that in the upcoming farm bill,” said Phillip Hayes, a spokesperson for the American Sugar Alliance in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “What we’re asking for is no changes to U.S. sugar policy. It’s operating at no cost to taxpayers. It’s given us a chance to weather the storm. I believe incoming lawmakers and the incoming administration realize that U.S. sugar producers, and farmers in general, are important to the backbone of this country.”
On a market standpoint, Hayes noted the price of sugar for consumer consumption is extremely low. He said it is the result of a Mexico-U.S. trade law that was broken by Mexico when it dumped subsidized Mexican sugar onto the U.S. market.
“When you look at the price of sugar, you’re talking about price levels that we haven’t seen since the 1980s. It’s very low,” Hayes said.
The alliance said sugar is produced in 22 states and supports 142,000 jobs nationwide. In Texas, sugar production generates 3,409 jobs and $196 million in economic impact.
“Sugar growers in Texas are particularly important to that local area and important to the economy,” Hayes said. “They are also producing electricity for some of the local communities. Once you squeeze the sugarcane juice out of the cane stalks, the leftover residue is actually burned to fuel the boilers at the local mill and what’s leftover is actually sold off into the local communities.”