Florida And Indiana Lawmakers Urge Trade Officials To Protect Domestic Stevia Industry

Mike Jenkins Tue, July 28, 2026 at 4:03 PM UTC

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Florida Sen. Rick Scott

Members of Congress representing Florida and Indiana have sent a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requesting trade protections for the domestic stevia market, citing heavy competition from Chinese imports.

The letter, directed to Ambassador Julie Callahan, chief agricultural negotiator for the USTR, asks the federal government to address China’s production capacity and pricing practices as part of an ongoing Section 301 trade investigation.

According to the lawmakers, led by U.S. Senator Rick Scott, stevia is currently cultivated in Florida, processed in Indiana, and distributed nationwide. Florida farmers currently harvest roughly 225 metric tons of the natural sweetener each year. Supporters say the crop offers an alternative revenue stream for Florida growers whose groves have been damaged by citrus greening, a disease that has hurt the state’s orange output for years.

The congressional letter notes that the U.S. imports approximately 3,500 metric tons of stevia annually, with the majority coming from China. The lawmakers pointed out that Chinese stevia prices dropped from $330 per kilogram in 2020 to $90 per kilogram today—a decline they attribute to excess foreign capacity rather than typical market fluctuations.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)

“With appropriate protections, American farmers have the capacity to meet this demand and to grow well beyond it as consumers increasingly seek a safe, transparent, and natural low-calorie sweetener option that supports farmers, protects consumers, and strengthens public health,” Scott and his colleagues wrote. “This supply chain is achievable, but it cannot be built or sustained without U.S. government intervention to counteract China’s structural excess capacity to grow and process this crop.”

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The letter also referenced previous regulatory actions by U.S. Customs and Border Protection regarding foreign supply chains. In May 2016, CBP issued a Withhold Release Order on certain stevia extracts produced in China due to forced labor concerns. In 2020, federal officials collected $575,000 in penalties from an importer linked to shipments processed with prison labor.

Lawmakers asked the USTR to include the domestic stevia sector in its broader evaluation of trade dynamics, supply chain security, and manufacturing capacity.

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Florida And Indiana Lawmakers Urge Trade Officials To Protect Domestic Stevia Industry

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Source: “AOL Money”