05/15/06 US sugar program under attack again

The Senate Ag Committee has heard from both sides. The committee is reviewing components of the 2002 farm bill before writing the 2007 version. The focus of a hearing last week was US sugar policy which American Sugar Alliance economist John Roney calls an unqualified success for consumers. RONEY "The 2005 average retail price for sugar was 43 cents, the same price sugar retailed for in 1980, 26 years ago." Food and candy makers have long opposed the sugar program and Hershey's Joe Goehring told Senators something has to change in the future. GOEHRING "Trade policy factors including an open border with Mexico in less than two years strongly suggest the need to think about alternative sugar policies." Louisiana sugar cane grower Wallace Ellender can't understand why the government would want to kill a program that costs the taxpayers nothing and has kept sugar prices stable. He's urging people to join a petition drive. ELLENDER "Billion dollar food companies on Capitol Hill lobbying to gut the very policy that our farmers depend on. They're prepared to spend millions of dollars to press our prices." That on line petition can be found at www.sugaralliance.org/petition. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott