Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences

Sugar exporters of the Caribbean depend on preferential sales of sugar to the European Union and United States at prices that are two to three times the world market price. Without these preferences, sugar export revenues would decline significantly. These preferences are likely to erode in the next...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mitchell, Donald
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/01/6523008/sugar-caribbean-adjusting-eroding-preferences
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8826
id okr-10986-8826
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-88262021-04-23T14:02:40Z Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences Mitchell, Donald AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AGRICULTURE BEET BEET SUGAR BIOMASS CANE SUGAR CARROTS CLIMATIC CONDITIONS COMMERCIAL USES COMMODITY COMPETITIVENESS CORN COST DIFFERENCES CROP CROP VARIETIES CROPLAND CROPS CUTTING ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ETHANOL EXPORTS FARM FARMER FARMERS FERTILIZER FERTILIZERS FLOOR PRICE FOOD IMPORTS FRUITS IMPORTS INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE LABOR COSTS LABOR FORCE LETTUCE MOLASSES POULTRY PRODUCE PRODUCERS PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES PRODUCTION COSTS REPLANTING SUGAR SUGAR BEETS SUGAR CANE SUGAR FACTORIES SUGAR INDUSTRY SUGAR PRICES SUGAR REFINING SUGAR TRADE SWEETENERS SYRUP TAXATION TOMATOES TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO VEGETABLES YIELDS Sugar exporters of the Caribbean depend on preferential sales of sugar to the European Union and United States at prices that are two to three times the world market price. Without these preferences, sugar export revenues would decline significantly. These preferences are likely to erode in the next several years as the sugar programs of both the European Union and the United States are under pressure to reform as part of already agreed international commitments, internal pressures, and the ongoing Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. The European Commission has already proposed reforms that would reduce internal sugar prices by 39 percent, directly affecting Caribbean sugar exporters. This presents a serious challenge to the sugar producers of the Caribbean who are mostly high-cost producers who will find it difficult to compete in the world market. St. Kitts & Nevis have recently announced plans to close their sugar industry and Trinidad & Tobago began a major restructuring program in 2003. Other sugar producers of the Caribbean will need to become more competitive by reducing costs and adding value to their sugar industries through cogeneration of energy and other activities. Those that cannot reduce costs sufficiently will need to diversify into other crops, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, for the growing local demand, the tourist industry, or export. International assistance will be important to help countries with these adjustments and the European Union has already proposed an adjustment program. 2012-06-22T19:16:43Z 2012-06-22T19:16:43Z 2006-01 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/01/6523008/sugar-caribbean-adjusting-eroding-preferences http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8826 English Policy Research Working Paper; No. 3802 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Latin America & Caribbean
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
AGRICULTURE
BEET
BEET SUGAR
BIOMASS
CANE SUGAR
CARROTS
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
COMMERCIAL USES
COMMODITY
COMPETITIVENESS
CORN
COST DIFFERENCES
CROP
CROP VARIETIES
CROPLAND
CROPS
CUTTING
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
ETHANOL
EXPORTS
FARM
FARMER
FARMERS
FERTILIZER
FERTILIZERS
FLOOR PRICE
FOOD IMPORTS
FRUITS
IMPORTS
INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
LABOR COSTS
LABOR FORCE
LETTUCE
MOLASSES
POULTRY
PRODUCE
PRODUCERS
PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES
PRODUCTION COSTS
REPLANTING
SUGAR
SUGAR BEETS
SUGAR CANE
SUGAR FACTORIES
SUGAR INDUSTRY
SUGAR PRICES
SUGAR REFINING
SUGAR TRADE
SWEETENERS
SYRUP
TAXATION
TOMATOES
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
VEGETABLES
YIELDS
spellingShingle AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
AGRICULTURE
BEET
BEET SUGAR
BIOMASS
CANE SUGAR
CARROTS
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
COMMERCIAL USES
COMMODITY
COMPETITIVENESS
CORN
COST DIFFERENCES
CROP
CROP VARIETIES
CROPLAND
CROPS
CUTTING
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
ETHANOL
EXPORTS
FARM
FARMER
FARMERS
FERTILIZER
FERTILIZERS
FLOOR PRICE
FOOD IMPORTS
FRUITS
IMPORTS
INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
LABOR COSTS
LABOR FORCE
LETTUCE
MOLASSES
POULTRY
PRODUCE
PRODUCERS
PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES
PRODUCTION COSTS
REPLANTING
SUGAR
SUGAR BEETS
SUGAR CANE
SUGAR FACTORIES
SUGAR INDUSTRY
SUGAR PRICES
SUGAR REFINING
SUGAR TRADE
SWEETENERS
SYRUP
TAXATION
TOMATOES
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
VEGETABLES
YIELDS
Mitchell, Donald
Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences
geographic_facet Latin America & Caribbean
relation Policy Research Working Paper; No. 3802
description Sugar exporters of the Caribbean depend on preferential sales of sugar to the European Union and United States at prices that are two to three times the world market price. Without these preferences, sugar export revenues would decline significantly. These preferences are likely to erode in the next several years as the sugar programs of both the European Union and the United States are under pressure to reform as part of already agreed international commitments, internal pressures, and the ongoing Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. The European Commission has already proposed reforms that would reduce internal sugar prices by 39 percent, directly affecting Caribbean sugar exporters. This presents a serious challenge to the sugar producers of the Caribbean who are mostly high-cost producers who will find it difficult to compete in the world market. St. Kitts & Nevis have recently announced plans to close their sugar industry and Trinidad & Tobago began a major restructuring program in 2003. Other sugar producers of the Caribbean will need to become more competitive by reducing costs and adding value to their sugar industries through cogeneration of energy and other activities. Those that cannot reduce costs sufficiently will need to diversify into other crops, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, for the growing local demand, the tourist industry, or export. International assistance will be important to help countries with these adjustments and the European Union has already proposed an adjustment program.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Mitchell, Donald
author_facet Mitchell, Donald
author_sort Mitchell, Donald
title Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences
title_short Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences
title_full Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences
title_fullStr Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences
title_full_unstemmed Sugar in the Caribbean : Adjusting to Eroding Preferences
title_sort sugar in the caribbean : adjusting to eroding preferences
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2012
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/01/6523008/sugar-caribbean-adjusting-eroding-preferences
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/8826
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