US President Trump has signed an executive order to remove a 40% tariff on Brazilian food and drinks products, including coffee, tea and beef.
According to a statement from the White House yesterday (20 November) “certain agricultural products shall not be subject to the additional rate of duty”.
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In July, the Trump administration announced plans to implement the 40% tariff, in response to Brazil’s prosecution of its former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Goods no longer facing the 40% duty include coffee, tea, certain fruit juices, fruits, nuts and beef.
Brazil had previously also been facing a 10% reciprocal tariff on goods such as coffee and beef, which was scrapped last week as part of a broader cut to reciprocal tariffs on specific agricultural goods.
In yesterday’s White House statement, President Trump said it “is necessary and appropriate” to “modify the scope” of products Brazilian products subject to the higher rate of tax.
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By GlobalDataWhile negotiations between the US and Brazil are “ongoing”, Trump said he had mulled over “information and recommendations” from “various officials” who had argued there were some agricultural products that should not be subject to tariffs, as “there has been initial progress in negotiations with the Government of Brazil”.
The latest order applies to Brazilian imports to the US on or after 13 November, meaning that some businesses may require a refund of the duties collected on those goods while the tariffs were still being charged.
In September, a bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers put forward a bill to abolish coffee tariffs that had been established under Trump’s administration.
The US, which is the world’s largest coffee importer, relies on imports for over 99% of its coffee consumption, as suitable growing conditions are limited, according to the National Coffee Association.
