Paris: The European Commission has proposed temporary suspension of duty free sugar imports to relieve sugar producers reeling under lower prices and increasing competition, reports Arab News.
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen said late on Monday that he would propose a temporary suspension of the arrangement to help stabilise the sugar market. He said the move was aimed at reducing the strain on farmers and sugar processors caused by high import volumes.
Under the existing system, companies are permitted to import sugar into the European Union without paying duty and without quantity limits, provided the sugar is refined or processed into food products and then exported outside the EU.
European Commission data show that raw sugar imports under this system reached 587,000 metric tons in the 2024–25 marketing year, up 19 per cent from the previous year. About 95 per cent of this raw sugar came from Brazil. Imports of white sugar under the same system totalled 155,000 tons during the year, an increase of 5 per cent from a year earlier. Brazil accounted for 43 per cent of these imports, followed by Morocco, Egypt and Ukraine.
European sugar beet producers have raised concerns about what they describe as unfair competition from imports. They have also expressed concern about the possible impact of a proposed trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries, which would allow a larger volume of sugar imports.
Producers say the rise in imports has added to excess supply in the market, pushing European Union sugar prices down to their lowest level in at least three years.
The European sugar beet growers’ organisation CIBE welcomed the Commission’s proposal, calling it timely and necessary. The group said the move would send a clear signal to the market and provide some relief to the European sugar sector, which has been under pressure.
