In the first quarter of 2012, the world price for raw sugar, 24¢ per pound, was about 70% of the domestic price, 34¢ per pound, because of quotas and tariffs on sugar imports. Consequently, American-made corn sweeteners can be profitably sold domestically.

A decade ago, the U.S. Commerce Department estimated that the quotas and price support reduce American welfare by about $3 billion a year, so, each dollar of Archer Daniels Midland’s profit from selling U.S. sugar costs Americans about $10. Model the effects of a quota on sugar in both the sugar and corn sweetener markets.