Recife, October 17, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Around 160 thousand tons of sugar are being retained in the port of Recife, awaiting liberation of the quota eligibility certificate. This document, which is issued by the American Embassy, should already have been passed along to the state by the Ministry of Agriculture. The merchandise will be exported to the Northeastern United States.

The president of the Sugar Producers Sindicate, Renato Cunha, informed that the delay in receiving the certificate, besides tarnishing Brazil's image abroad, is inflicting losses on producers who are unable to pay off foreign exchange contracts and must rent sheds to warehouse the sugar outside the port area, for which they are paying 10 times more.

According to him, the certificate is important for tariff apportionment among units of production in the Northeast. He said that the region has been a constant supplier of sugar to the American market for over 20 years. (DAS)