EC SUGAR TENDER SEEN AS FURTHER CONCESSION The rebates granted at yesterday's EC sugar tender represent a further concession to producers' complaints that they are losing money on exports outside the bloc, trade sources said. They said the maximum rebate of 45.678 European currency Units (Ecus) per 100 kilos was 0.87 Ecus below what producers claim is needed to obtain the equivalent price to that offered for sales into intervention. The rebate at last week's tender was 1.3 Ecus short of the level producers thought necessary and that of the previous week was 2.5 Ecus below this level. But the sources said producers who have offered a total of 854,000 tonnes of sugar into intervention in an apparent attempt to persuade the Commission to set higher maximum rebates have given no formal indication to the Commission that they intend to withdraw these offers. The French and German operators involved would be able to withdraw the offers up to five weeks after April 1 when the sugar will officially enter intervention stores. The five-week period is the normal delay between sugar going into intervention and payment being made for it. EC officials have said that if the Commission has to buy the sugar, it is determined immediately to resell it, a move which could drive down market prices further.