AGRICULTURE REPORT - Trade Dispute Over E.U. Sugar Subsidies

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Trade Dispute Over E.U. Sugar Subsidies¹
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, November 16, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

By some measures, these would seem like sweet times for the sugar industry. The world market for sugar is expanding. So is production.

Developing countries currently² produce more than two-thirds of all sugar. And they are expected to be responsible for almost all production growth through two thousand ten. This is shown in research by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Yet the value of sugar exports has decreased. In nineteen eighty, it was almost ten thousand million dollars. By two thousand one, the value of sugar exports fell to six thousand million dollars.

The Food and Agriculture Organization says government intervention³ drives down world sugar prices. It says policies in the United States and the European Union are believed to have the most effect in limiting chances for growth. It says prices are kept high in their own markets, while prices on the world market are depressed⁴.

In July of last year, Australia, Brazil and Thailand took action in the World Trade Organization against the European Union. The three nations said European Union countries were giving more aid to their sugar producers than they had agreed to under W.T.O. rules. They said this aid was unfair and kept world prices down.

Brazil is the biggest producer of sugar from sugar cane⁵. As much as seventy percent of sugar is made from this plant. France is the biggest producer of sugar from sugar beets⁶.

Australia, Brazil and Thailand argued that the European Union guaranteed its sugar producers very high prices within its market. As a result, they said the producers were able to export surplus⁷ sugar at prices below their cost of production.

Also, the three nations said the European Union was giving more direct subsidies to its sugar producers than permitted. These payments are based on the amount of sugar imported into the union under special trade agreements with some countries. These countries include India, but they are mainly in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Last month, the W.T.O. ruled the European subsidies illegal. The European Union immediately said it would appeal. But Agricultural Commissioner⁸ Franz Fischler says the E.U. needs reforms to make its sugar industry "more competitive⁹ and trade-friendly."

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Gwen Outen.

1 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

5 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

6 beets   

甜菜( beet的名词复数 )； 甜菜根； （因愤怒、难堪或觉得热而）脸红

参考例句：

• Beets are Hank's favorite vegetable. 甜菜根是汉克最爱吃的蔬菜。
• In this enlargement, barley, alfalfa, and sugar beets can be differentiated. 在这张放大的照片上，大麦，苜蓿和甜菜都能被区分开。

7 surplus   

adj.过剩的，多余的；n.过剩，剩余额

参考例句：

• The manufacturers in some countries dumped their surplus commodities abroad.一些国家的制造商向国外倾销过剩产品。
• The surplus steam was blown off through the pipes.多余的蒸气通过管道放掉了。

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。