Thomas Mott Osborne: “this is our annual debate, and this is an appropriations bill, not a farm bill. I think this discussion should occur in…”

“this is our annual debate, and this is an appropriations bill, not a farm bill. I think this discussion should occur in the course of the farm bill. We have many sugar producers in Nebraska who bought a sugar processing plant based on the 2002 farm bill. So we think that it is important it be considered at the right time. Sugar prices in the United States are low by world standards. Grocery shoppers in other developed countries pay 30 percent more for sugar than the U.S. America already has one of the most open sugar markets in the world, importing sugar from 41 countries whether we need that sugar or not. As the world's second largest sugar importer, the United States is the only major sugar-producing country that is a net importer. Lastly, I would like to mention this: Ten African Nations, and many others around the world, receive the U.S. premium price, and so the U.S. sugar program benefits many developing countries. This certainly is something that we need to consider. So I urge defeat of the amendment.”