On Monday, the European Union (EU) faced renewed demands to restrict an influx of sugar imports from Ukraine, this time coming from sugar producers in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Similar to other commodities, the EU removed import duties on Ukrainian sugar following the Russia-Ukraine war outbreak in 2022, resulting in a tenfold increase in Ukrainian sugar imports during the 2022/23 season. This surge is expected to persist in the current 2023/24 season and beyond, prompting EU sugar producers to advocate for reinstating limits.
The call for restrictions has been echoed by sugar producers in Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and other lower-income sugar-producing nations, contending that the heightened imports from Ukraine are negatively impacting their sugar industries. The ACP/LDC Sugar Industries Group urged the EU to address the issue without harming Ukraine, suggesting solutions such as allowing Ukrainian sugar to transit the bloc on its way to traditional markets. The group consists of African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries, along with least developed nations eligible to provide duty-free and quota-free sugar to the EU and Britain under special arrangements. The listed countries include Belize, Benin, Dominican Republic, Eswatini, Fiji, Laos, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.