Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1395797
www.SugarProducer.com 7 www.KriegFischer.de Biogas plants for the sugar industry Anzeige_Zucker_neu.indd 1 Anzeige_Zucker_neu.indd 1 20.06.21 22:00 20.06.21 22:00 4515-4Krieg&Fischer13s.indd 1 4515-4Krieg&Fischer13s.indd 1 6/29/21 4:56 PM 6/29/21 4:56 PM 4380-7SafeTPull13s.indd 1 12/10/19 4:05 PM 5. There are significant challenges of moving foreign refined sugar to the U.S. market, such as questionable product quality (resulting from a host of issues, such as packaging, polarity, foreign materials, heat and humidity in transit). There are significantly higher handling and transportation costs for importing global sugar, and, at times, logistical obstacles arise. When world sugar production shortage occurs, prices spike and exporting countries concentrate on delivering shipments to nearby markets to save on freight costs. 6. The domestic sugar industry is largely structured as farmer-owned cooperatives. These cooperatives have proven to be effective in eliminating excess costs, improving efficiency and providing growers the opportunity to vertically integrate, govern and earn more of the food production dollar. 7. If we are to have a strong and reliable domestic sugar industry, there must be a strong sugar policy in the farm bill and trade policies that balance supply and demand. Our farmers need good crop insurance products to manage risks, as well as public and private research to address pests, disease and climate challenges in the years ahead. Over the past 20 years, sugar growers have produced 16 percent more sugar on 11 percent less land, and we need to continue those advancements. 8. Finally, tax policy can have a direct and harmful impact on farm ownership as farms are passed from one generation to the next. Efficiency is driven by economies of scale. If families are forced to sell land to pay taxes, it would eliminate those efficiencies and would be disastrous to our industry, threatening the supply chain. These are key talking points that help tell our nation's policy makers and administrators to keep our food system strong and resilient. While members of Congress have had a multitude of problems to face during the pandemic, sugar has not been one of them because we have a farm and trade policy that works. n