An amendment approved by the House Agriculture Committee yesterday requiring quotas on U.S. imports of products containing sugar is unlikely to remain in a comprehensive trade bill Congressional sources said. The amendment offered by Rep. Arlan Stangeland R-Minn. would require quotas on the import of any merchandise containing over 25 pct sugar or other farm products which are now subject to U.S. quotas. Supporters of the amendment said it is aimed at curbing shipments of food products containing sugar from Canada. However the Ways and Means committee which has overall jurisdiction on trade legislation will try to kill the amendment as protectionist a committee aide said. An Agriculture committee aide acknowledged the proposal probably will not survive scrutiny by other House committees. But he said the amendment was introduced in part to send a warning to U.S. companies considering moving food processing plants to Canada to avoid the restrictive U.S. sugar quota. In debate on the amendment yesterday Rep. Stangeland and other supporters said the proposal would have no effect on the status of foreign trade zones. Sugar producer groups pushed for the amendment on sugar-containing products because they believe sugar is being shipped to the United States in food products as a way to circumvent the quota on raw sugar. The sugar quota is only one mln short tons this year.
U.S. SUGAR PRODUCT AMENDMENT UNLIKELY TO SURVIVE