Historically, the United States produced
about 55 percent of the sugar it consumed and
imported 45 percent. Largely as a result of current
U.S. sugar protections, today the United
States produces 88 percent of domestic consumption
and imports only 12 percent.3
The U.S. sugar program has two primary
facets. The first is price support loans. Unlike
other farm loan programs, the U.S. sugar pro-