Title 15—Commerce and Foreign Trade--Volume 1
PART 2011—ALLOCATION OF TARIFF-RATE QUOTA ON IMPORTED SUGARS, SYRUPS AND MOLASSES
§ 2011.101   General.
This subpart sets forth the terms and conditions under which certificates of quota eligibility will be issued to foreign countries that have been allocated a share of the U.S. sugar tariff-rate quota. Except as otherwise provided in this subpart, sugar imported from a foreign country may not be entered unless such sugar is accompanied by a certificate of quota eligibility. This subpart applies only to the ability to enter sugar at the in-quota tariff rates of the quota (subheadings 1701.11.10, 1701.12.10, 1701.91.10, 1701.99.10, 1702.90.10, and 2106.90.44 of the HTS). Nothing in this subpart shall affect the ability to enter articles at the over-quota tariff rate (subheadings 1701.11.50, 1701.12.50, 1701.91.30, 1701.99.50, 1702.90.20, 2106.90.46).
§ 2011.102   Definitions.
Unless the context otherwise requires, for the purpose of this subpart, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned below.
(a) Additional U.S. Note 5 means additional U.S. Note 5 to chapter 17 of the HTS, including any amendments thereto.
(b) Appropriate customs official means the district or area Director of the U.S. Customs Service, his or her designee, or any other customs officer of similar authority and responsibility for the customs district in which the port of entry is located.
(c) Certificate of quota eligibility or certificate means a certificate issued by the Secretary to a foreign country that, when duly executed and issued by the certifying authority of such foreign country, authorizes the entry into the United States of sugar produced in such country.
(d) Certifying authority means a person designated by the government of a foreign country who is authorized to execute and issue certificates of quota eligibility on behalf of such foreign country.
(e) Enter or Entry means to enter or withdraw from warehouse, or the entry or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption in the customs territory of the United States.
(f) Foreign country means, for any quota period, any foreign country or area with which an agreement or arrangement described in section 2011.106 is in effect for that quota period and to which the United States Trade Representative has allocated a particular quantity of the quota.
(g) HTS means the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
(h) Licensing Authority means the Team Leader, Import Quota Programs, Import Policies and Trade Analysis Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, or his or her designee.
(i) Person means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, estate, trust, or other legal entity, and, wherever applicable, any unit, instrumentality, or agency of a government, domestic or foreign.
(j) Quota means the tariff-rate quota on imports of sugar provided in additional U.S. Note 5.
(k) Quota period means the period October 1 of a calendar year through September 30 of the following calendar year.
(l) Raw value has the meaning provided in additional U.S. Note 5.
(m) Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture or any officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom the Secretary has delegated the authority or to whom the authority hereafter may be delegated to act in the Secretary's place.
(n) Sugar means sugars, syrups, and molasses described in subheadings 1701.11.10, 1701.12.10, 1701.91.10, 1701.99.10, 1702.90.10, and 2106.90.44 of the HTS, but does not include for any foreign country for any quota period specialty sugars as defined in subpart B of this part if a quantity of the quota for that quota period has been reserved for specialty sugars and an amount of that quota quantity has been allocated to that country.
§ 2011.103   Entry into the United States.
(a) General. Except as otherwise provided in §§ 2011.104, 2011.109, and 2011.110, no sugar that is the product of a foreign country may be permitted entry unless at the time of entry the person entering such sugar presents to the appropriate customs official a valid and properly executed certificate of quota eligibility for such sugar.
(b) Determinations of weight. (1) For purposes of determining the amount of sugar which may be entered into the United States under a certificate of quota eligibility, sugar shall be entered on the basis of the actual weight of the sugar, as determined by the appropriate customs official. No adjustments in weight shall be made for the differences in polarization.
(2) The actual weight of the sugar entered into the United States may not exceed the weight specified on the certificate of quota eligibility by more than five percent. Such tolerance may be modified by the Secretary if the Secretary finds that such modification is appropriate to carry out the provisions of this subpart. Notice of any such modification shall be published by the Secretary in the Federal Register.
(3) This paragraph (b) shall not affect the manner in which the amount of sugar (raw value) entered is determined fo purposes of administering the quota.
§ 2011.104   Waiver.
(a) General. The Secretary may waive, with respect to individual shipments, any or all of the requirements of this subpart if he or she determines that a waiver will not impair the proper operation of the sugar quota system, that it will not have the effect of modifying the allocation of sugar made pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (b) of additional U.S. Note 5, and that such waiver is justified by unusual, unavoidable, or otherwise appropriate circumstances. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, loss or destruction of the certificate, unavoidable delays in transmittal of the certificate to the port of entry, and clerical errors in the execution or issuance of the certificate.
(b) Request for waiver. The request for a waiver must be made to the Secretary in writing. The request need not follow any specific format. However, the request should set forth in detail all pertinent information relating to the shipment in question and the basis upon which the waiver should be granted.
(c) Issuance of waiver. The Secretary shall notify, in writing, the applicant for the waiver and the Secretary of the Treasury of any waiver granted under the authority of this section. The Secretary may attach any terms, conditions or limitations to the waiver which he or she determines are appropriate.
§ 2011.105   Form and applicability of certificate.
(a) Contents. Each certificate shall be numbered and identified by the foreign country. The certificate shall state that the quantity specified on the certificate is eligible to be entered into the United States during the applicable quota period. The certificate shall provide spaces into which the following information must be inserted by the certifying authority of the foreign country: Quantity eligible to be entered; name of shipper; name of vessel; and port of loading. The following information, if known, may also be specified on the certificate by the certifying authority: name and address of consignee; expected date of departure; expected date of arrival in U.S.; and expected port(s) of arrival in the United States. The certificate shall also provide an area where the certifying authority of the foreign country shall affix a seal or other form of authentication and sign and date the certificate.
(b) Other limitations. The Secretary may attach such other terms, limitations, or conditions to individual certificates of quota eligibility as he or she determines are appropriate to carry out the purposes of this subpart, provided that such other terms, limitations, or conditions will not have the effect of modifying the allocation of sugar made pursaunt to the provisions of subdivision (b) of additional U.S. Note 5. Such terms, limitations, or conditions may include, but are not limited to, maximum quantities per certificate and a specified period of time during which the certificate shall be valid. In no event shall the maximum quantity per certificate exceed 10,000 short tons.
(c) Applicability of the certificate. The certificate of quota eligibility shall only be applicable to the shipment of sugar for which it was executed and issued by the certifying authority.
§ 2011.106   Agreements with foreign countries.
Agreements or arrangements providing for the certificate system may be entered into by the United States Government with the governments of foreign countries. Such agreements or arrangements may provide for the designation of certifying authorities, the designation of seals or other forms of authentication, the transmittal and exchange of pertinent information, and other appropriate means or forms of cooperation.
§ 2011.107   Issuance of certificates to foreign countries.
(a) Amount and timing. The Secretary may issue certificates of quota eligibility to foreign countries for any quota period in such amounts and at such times as he or she determines are appropriate to enable the foreign country to fill its quota allocation for such quota period in a reasonable manner, taking into account traditional shipping patterns, harvesting period, U.S. import requirements, and other relevant factors.
(b) Adjustments. The Secretary may adjust the amount of certificates issued to a certifying authority for any quota period, provided that such adjustment will not have the effect of modifying the allocation of sugar made pursaunt to the provisions of subdivision (b) of additional U.S. Note 5 to reflect:
(1) The amount of sugar entered into warehouse during previous quota periods;
(2) Anticipated differences in actual weight and weight determined on a raw value basis; and
(3) Other relevant factors.
§ 2011.108   Execution and issuance of certificates by the certifying authority.
(a) Execution. The certificate of quota eligibility shall be executed by the certifying authority by:
(1) Entering on the certificate the information required under § 2011.105 of this subpart; and
(2) Affixing a seal or other form of authentication to the certificate.
(b) Issuance. The executed certificate shall be issued by the certifying authority to the shipper or consignee specified on the certificate.
(c) Modifications by the certifying authority. The terms and conditions set forth in the certificate may not be modified, added to, or deleted by the certifying authority without the prior written approval of the Secretary.
(d) A certificate shall not be considered valid unless it is executed and issued in accordance with this section.
§ 2011.109   Suspension or revocation of individual certificates.
(a) Suspension or revocation. The Secretary may suspend, revoke, modify or add further limitations to any certificate if the Secretary determines that such action or actions is necessary to ensure the effective operation of the import quota system for sugar and that such suspension, revocation, modification or addition of further limitations will not have the effect of modifying the allocation of sugar made pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (b) of additional U.S. Note 5.
(b) Reinstatement. The Secretary may reinstate or reissue any certificate which was previously suspended, revoked, modified, or otherwise limited under the authority of this section.
§ 2011.110   Suspension of certificate system.
(a) Suspension. The U.S. Trade Representative may suspend the provisions of this subpart whenever he or she determines that such action gives due consideration to the interests in the U.S. sugar market of domestic producers and materially affected contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Notice of such suspension and the effective date thereof shall be published in the Federal Register.
(b) Reinstatement. The U.S. Trade Representative may at any time reinstate the operation of this subpart if he or she finds that the conditions set forth in paragraph (a) of this section no longer apply. Notice of such reinstatement and the effective date thereof shall be published in the Federal Register.
(c) Transitional provisions. In the case of any suspension or reinstatement of the certificate system established by this subpart, the Secretary, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, may prescribe such additional guidelines, instructions, and limitations which shall be applied or implemented by appropriate customs officials in order to ensure an orderly transition.
§ 2011.201   General.
This subpart sets forth the terms and conditions under which certificates will be issued to U.S. importers for importing specialty sugars from specialty sugar source countries. Specialty sugars imported from specialty sugar source countries may not be entered unless accompanied by a specialty sugar certificate. This subpart applies only to the ability to enter specialty sugar at the in-quota tariff rates of the quota (subheadings 1701.11.10, 1701.12.10, 1701.91.10, 1701.99.10, 1702.90.10, and 2106.90.44 of the HTS). Nothing in this subpart shall affect the ability to enter articles at the over-quota tariff rate (subheadings 1701.11.50, 1701.12.50, 1701.91.30, 1701.99.50, 1702.90.20, 2106.90.46).
§ 2011.202   Definitions.
Unless the context otherwise requires, for the purpose of this subpart, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned below.
(a) Appropriate Customs official means the District or Area Director of Customs, his or her designee, or any other Customs officer of similar authority and responsibility for the Customs district in which the port of entry is located.
(b) Certificate means a specialty sugar certificate issued by the Certifying Authority permitting the entry of specialty sugar.
(c) Certifying Authority means the Team Leader, Import Quota Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, or his or her designee.
(d) Date of entry means the date on which the appropriate Customs entry form is properly executed and deposited, together with any estimated duties and special import fees and any related documents required by law or regulation to be filed with such form at the time of entry with the appropriate Customs Officer.
(e) Importer means any person in the United States importing specialty sugar into the United States.
(f) Person means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, estate, trust, or other legal entity, and, wherever applicable, any unit, instrumentality, or agency, of a government, domestic or foreign.
(g) Quota means the tariff-rate quota on imports of sugar provided in additional U.S. Note 5 to chapter 17 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
(h) Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture or any officer of employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom the Secretary has delegated the authority or to whom the authority hereafter may be delegated to act in his place.
(i) Specialty sugar means brown slab sugar (also known as slab sugar candy), pearl sugar (also known as perl sugar, perle sugar, and nibs sugar), vanilla sugar, rock candy, demerara sugar, dragees for cooking and baking, fondant (a creamy blend of sugar and glucose), ti light sugar (99.2% sugar with the residual comprised of the artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame K), caster sugar, golden syrup, ferdiana granella grossa, golden granulated sugar, muscovado, molasses sugar, sugar decorations, sugar cubes, and other sugars, as determined by the United States Trade Representative, that would be considered specialty sugar products within the normal commerce of the United States, all of which in addition:
(1) Are sugars, syrups, or molasses described in subheading 1701.11.10, 1701.12.10, 1701.91.10, 1701.99.10, 1702.90.10, or 2106.90.44 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States,
(2) Are the product of a specialty sugar source country, and
(j) Specialty sugar source country means any country or area to which the United States Trade Representative has allocated an amount of the quantity reserved for the importation of specialty sugars under additional U.S. Note 5 to chapter 17 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
§ 2011.203   Issuance of specialty sugar certificates.
(a) Specialty sugars imported into the United States from specialty sugar source countries may be entered only if such specialty sugars are accompanied by a certificate issued by the Certifying Authority.
(b) A certificate may be issued to an importer who complies with the provisions of this part. The certificate may contain such conditions, limitations or restrictions as the Certifying Authority, in his discretion, deems necessary. The Certifying Authority will issue a certificate if sufficient evidence has been provided to permit the Certifying Authority to make a reasonable determination that the sugar proposed to be imported under the certificate fits the definition of specialty sugars in this subpart.
(c) Subject to quota availability, an unlimited number of complying shipments may enter under a given certificate and a given certificate may cover more than one type of specialty sugar. Issuance of a certificate does not guarantee the entry of any specific shipment of specialty sugar, but only permits entry of such sugar if the amount allocated to the specialty sugar source country is not already filled.
§ 2011.204   Entry of specialty sugars.
An importer or the importer's agent must present a certificate to the appropriate customs official at the date of entry of specialty sugars. Entry of specialty sugars shall be allowed only in conformity with the description of sugars and other conditions, if any, stated in the certificate.
§ 2011.205   Application for a specialty sugar certificate.
Applicants for certificates for the import of specialty sugars must apply in writing to the Certifying Authority. Such letter of application shall contain the following information:
(a) The name and address of the applicant;
(b) A statement of the anticipated quantity of specialty sugars to be imported, if known;
(c) The appropriate six digit HTS subheading number;
(d) A description of the specialty sugar the importer expects to import during the period of the certificate, including the manufacturer's or exporter's usual trade name or designation and use of such specialty sugar, and the importer's use of such specialty sugar;
(e) Sufficient evidence to permit the Certifying Authority to make a reasonable determination that such sugars are specialty sugars within the definition of specialty sugars in this subpart;
(f) The name of the anticipated consumer of the specialty sugars, if known at time of application; and
(g) The anticipated date of entry, if known at time of application.
§ 2011.206   Suspension or revocation of individual certificates.
(a) Suspension or revocation. The Certifying Authority may suspend, revoke, modify or add limitations to any certificate which has been issued if he or she determines that such action or actions is necessary to ensure the effective operation of the quota for specialty sugars or determines that the importer has failed to comply with the requirements of this subpart.
(b) Reinstatement. The Certifying Authority may reinstate or restore any certificate which was previously suspended, revoked, modified or otherwise limited under the authority of this section.
(c) The determination of the Certifying Authority under paragraph (a) that the importer has failed to comply with the requirements of this subpart may be appealed to the Director, Import Policy and Trade Analysis Division, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, within 30 days from the date of suspension or revocation. The request for reconsideration shall be presented in writing and shall specifically state the reason or reasons why such determination should not stand. The Director shall provide such person with an opportunity for an informal hearing on such matter. A further appeal may be made to the Administrator, FAS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, within five working days of receipt of the notification of the Director's decision. The Certifying Authority may take action under paragraph (b) during the pendency of any appeal.
§ 2011.207   Suspension of the certificate system.
(a) Suspension. The U.S. Trade Representative may suspend the provisions of this subpart whenever he or she determines that the quota is no longer in force or that this subpart is no longer necessary to implement the quota. Notice of such suspension and the effective date thereof shall be published in the Federal Register.
(b) Reinstatement. The U.S. Trade Representative may at any time reinstate the operation of this subpart if he or she finds that the conditions set forth in paragraph (a) of this section no longer apply. Notice of such reinstatement and the effective date thereof shall be published in the Federal Register.
(c) Transitional provisions. In the case of any suspension or reinstatement of the certificate system established by this subpart, the Certifying Authority may prescribe such additional guidelines, instructions, and limitations which shall be applied or implemented by appropriate Customs officials in order to ensure an orderly transition.
§ 2011.208   Paperwork Reduction Act assigned number.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection requirements contained in the regulations in this subpart in accordance with 44 U.S.C. Chapter 25 and OMB control number 0551-0014 has been assigned with corresponding clearance effective through April 30, 1997.