Sugar Producer

30 Sugar Producer JANUARY 2021 Sweet Story ASA releases video highlighting unique nature of sugar industry FROM THE ASA By Phillip Hayes | Director of Media Relations most of the time our work hAs us in wsugAr is An interesting commodity. the unique nAture of AmericA's sugAr industry, the robust sugAr supply chAin, And the flexibility of AmericA's no-cost sugAr policy All proved to be strAtegic Assets when the covid-19 pAndemic introduced new chAllenges in eArly 2020. Sugar farmers and workers pivoted quickly in order to keep America supplied with an essential ingredient. Grocery stores remained stocked and food manufacturing lines kept humming, knowing that they had reliable access to an affordable supply of sugar. This is a testament to the hard work of the sugar industry and the importance of a strong sugar policy. To highlight what sets sugar apart, the American Sugar Alliance (ASA) created a brand new video as part of our Sugar Shorts series. This new video complements the multi-part Sugar Shorts video series, which features existing videos exploring how sugar is made, how U.S. sugar policy works, and the global sugar market, which is largely dominated by foreign subsidies. While Sugar Shorts originally debuted as Congress was gearing up to debate the 2018 Farm Bill, these videos and the stories of America's sugar farmers and workers remain more important than ever. Eleven thousand family farmers from the Red River Valley to the Rio Grande Valley grow sugar crops. And they grow two completely different types of sugar crops—sugarbeets and sugarcane— which are then both refined into the same sugar. Sugar workers make and package more than 60 different varieties of sugar, which come in a range of sizes from a teaspoon serving to railcars loaded with sugar. America's sugar companies store this sugar all across the country in strategically located state-of-the-art facilities until food manufacturers and other customers need it. Not to mention the fact that the majority of those companies are farmer- owned cooperatives, which helps vertically integrate the supply chain from farm to grocery store shelf. Of course, America's sugar policy is unique, too. The world sugar market is grossly distorted by subsidies. But America's no-cost sugar policy is built on loans repaid with interest—not subsidy checks—ensuring a secure supply of sugar at no cost to taxpayers. We're glad to have this new Sugar Short video to underscore to Congress the essential role that America's sugar industry plays in producing an important ingredient at an affordable price. Even during a crisis, such as a pandemic. Now that's a sweet deal. View the entire Sugar Shorts series by visiting www.sugaralliance.org or finding the ASA on Facebook or Twitter. n

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