WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency was offered 99,375 tons of raw cane and refined beet sugar from domestic processors in its tender that closed Aug. 21. The sugar consequently was offered for sale to bioenergy producers under the Feedstock Flexibility Program (F.F.P.).
In a catalog published late Aug. 21, the U.S.D.A. said 69,375 tons of raw cane sugar and 30,000 tons of refined beet sugar were offered to the F.S.A.’s Commodity Credit Corp. The sugar had to be pledged as collateral against government loans that matured Aug. 31, 2013, and processors must redeem the loan quantity when a contract is awarded. Quantities offered may be reduced (but not increased) up until price offers are due, the U.S.D.A. said.
Offers from bioenergy producers to buy the sugar from the C.C.C. must be a minimum 5,000 tons with pricing up to four decimal places. Price offers are due by 1:30 p.m. Central Time, Aug. 28, and successful offerors will be notified by 1:30 p.m. Central Time, Aug. 29.
Basically, the U.S.D.A. will attempt to match offers from bioenergy producers to buy the sugar from the C.C.C. with offers to sell from processors, taking into account logistics and other matters.
It was the U.S.D.A.’s third tender, but the first under the F.F.P., for sugar in the past two months. In the first tender the U.S.D.A. bought 91,238 tonnes of refined beet and raw cane sugar that was exchanged for 299,153 tonnes of refined sugar re-export credits and Certificates of Quota Eligibility. In a second tender the U.S.D.A. purchased 15,504 tonnes of raw cane sugar that was exchanged for 46,559 tonnes of re-export credits. The U.S.D.A. spent a total of $50.706 million in the earlier tenders.
The U.S.D.A. is seeking to remove sugar from the market to avoid forfeitures against government loans taken by sugar processors.