The White House issued this Friday (14) a decree from President Donald Trump to exempt certain agricultural products from reciprocal tariffs, which have been in force since April.
According to a note published by the White House, Among the products that will no longer be subject to reciprocal tariffs are: coffee and tea; tropical fruits and fruit juices; cocoa and spices; bananas, oranges and tomatoes; beef; and additional fertilizers (some fertilizers have never been subject to reciprocal tariffs).
The decree is part of a major effort by Trump and his top officials to meet demands Americans’ growing concerns about persistently high food prices.
According to the Reuters agency, the new exemptions — which take effect retroactively at midnight on Thursday — mark a sharp turnaround for Trump, who has long insisted that his import tariffs are not fueling inflation. They come after a series of Democratic victories in state and local elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York, where affordability was a major topic.
According to the White House, the measure modifies “the scope of the reciprocal tariffs it [Donald Trump] initially announced on April 2, 2025.” At the time, the president of the United States imposed a global tariff on products imported from several countries, and confirmed a 10% tax on Brazilian products. At the event, he announced the application of a 20% tariff on the European Union, 34% on China and 46% on Vietnam.
It has not yet been announced how much the fare will be reduced.
Repercussions
Brazil can benefit from reducing tariffs. However, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services reported that it is still analyzing the Executive Order signed by Trump.
In a note, the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) informed that it is evaluating whether the Executive Order applies “to the base tariff of 10%, to the 40% [adicional] or both.”
“Cecafé is in contact with its American counterparts, at this moment, to carefully analyze the situation and get an idea of the real scenario that is presented”, says the statement.
The Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec) considered the North American government’s decision to reduce tariffs applied to Brazilian beef to be positive.
“The measure reinforces confidence in the technical dialogue between the two countries and recognizes the importance of Brazilian meat, marked by quality, regularity and contribution to global food security”, he informed.
.* With information from Reuters.
