thanks to nafta
No, thanks to protectionism by the anti-Nafta sugar lobby:
"Because federal tariffs and subsidies push the price of U.S. sugar far above what it fetches on the world market, candy cane makers such as Spangler are opening factories overseas, where sugar can cost 6 cents a pound compared to 21 cents back home...."
http://www.danieldrezner.com/archives/000980.html
Sugar Policy Alliance seeks reform in 2007 Farm Bill
In search of sugar price support program reform
On April 23, sweetener users, public interest, consumer and taxpayer groups announced the formation of the Sugar Policy Alliance to seek reform of the sugar price support program in the 2007 farm bill.
Alliance members and other companies, public interest groups and associations including NCA are calling on Congress to make American sugar policy more market-oriented, less reliant on government regulation of supply and more compliant with the nation’s foreign trade obligations.
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, a member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee, appeared in Chicago alongside NCA to express his support for reform of the sugar program. “Illinois has lost thousands of good-paying jobs in the candy industry as companies have closed plants or moved them offshore in order to compete with imported candy that is made with much cheaper, world-priced sugar. Nationwide, segments of the food industry that use sugar have lost 70,000 jobs,” Durbin said. “As Congress works on this year’s farm bill, I intend to push hard for sugar policy reforms that are good for farmers, consumers, processors, and taxpayers,” he added.
Because the U.S. does not produce as much sugar as it consumes, users need ready access to reliable supplies of imported, as well as domestically produced, sugar. The current sugar policy is increasingly incompatible with the rapidly evolving global market.
Currently, the sugar program hurts American workers by driving good jobs overseas. It hurts American consumers by increasing the price of products made with sugar. And it hurts sugar producers by driving down long term demand for their product.
A healthy domestic sugar-producing and sugar-processing industry that can deliver an ample supply to refiners, industrial users, and consumers is important, but sugar reformers believe sugar policy should support producer incomes without distorting the market.
http://www.ecandy.com/Content.aspx?ContentID=6605