This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SECSTATE FOR EB/TPP/ABT/ATP, PATRICK HUDAK 
USTR FOR SHARON BOMER 
USDA FOR FAS/ITP, RON LORD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD
SUBJECT:  COSTA RICA SAYS IT HAS SURPLUS SUGAR 
 
REF: STATE 014374 
 
¶1.  On February 6, 2006, in response to reftel request for 
information, AgAtt received from Vice Minister of Foreign 
Trade Doris Osterlof the following letter regarding Costa 
Rica's plans to fill its allocation of the U.S. sugar TRQ, 
and the country's supply situation. 
 
¶2. Beging text of letter: 
 
February 6th, 2006 
 
Dear Ms. Nishiura: 
 
In response to your letter of January 31, I would like to 
inform you that according to information provided by the 
Costa Rican Sugar League (LAICA), the country will fulfill 
the allocated WTO quota for the 2005-2006 crop and it will 
have real possibilities of supplying the U.S. market, under 
a possible increase of the TRQ as well as under the re- 
export market. 
 
The information provided by LAICA is the following: 
 
Up to this date the country has exported approximately 
22,500 MT to the United States in the vessel Synphony, which 
left Costa Rica on January 19th, 2006.  This ship is going 
to the port of Baltimore. 
 
Of these 22,500 MT, 16,242 MT will be entered against the 
TRQ and the difference will be directed to the re-export 
market. 
 
At this time our country is harvesting the sugar crop, a 
process that will end approximately in June of this year. 
 
Costa Rica still has approximately 110,000 MT (of sugar) for 
export, of which 53,549 MT can be shipped to the United 
States, including 11,000 MT of the CAFTA quota and the rest 
of the tonnage (4,586 MT) to complete the TRQ. 
 
The above means that, after fulfilling the WTO TRQ and the 
CAFTA TRQ, there is still a remainder of 37,963 MT, which 
may be allocated to the Unites States market, either under a 
TRQ or the re-export market. 
 
To summarize, I would like to point out that Costa Rica is 
capable of supplying the additional quantities of sugar that 
the U.S. market demands, both crude as well as refined 
sugar. 
 
Also, as a request from LAICA, we ask you formally that in 
case there is an increase to the U.S. quota, that the 
country be authorized to ship an additional percentage in 
compensation for having being excluded from the increase to 
the TRQ allocated at the end of 2004-2005.  In that case, 
the sugar sector was not able to export approximately 4,000 
MT. 
 
We also want to inform you that LAICA has approximately 
4,000 MT of refined sugar, which in case there is a quota 
assigned to that product, may be used for exporting to the 
U.S. market under that quota. 
 
Closing remarks follow. 
 
Original signed by Doris Osterlof Obregon, Vice-Minister of 
Foreign Trade, Costa Rica 
 
End text of letter. 
 
LANGDALE