Coffee has been included in the range of agricultural products the United States (US) has repealed tariffs on.
The new round of exemptions and reductions limit the trade levies on products that cannot be produced at scale in the US, with the new tariffs backdated to take effect from 13 November.
Brazil Vice President Geraldo Alkmin welcomed the changes but says coffee from the world’s largest producer is still being slugged with high additional import charges.
“Everyone got 10 per cent less, but in Brazil’s case we had 50 per cent and ended up with 40 per cent, which is very high,” says Alkman.
In addition to the inclusion of coffee among the more than 200 products, the White House has released joint statements on agreements for reciprocal trade with Central American producers El Salvador, Ecuador, and Guatemala.
These agreements all include the working towards non-tariff barriers on both sides, which could lead to the strengthening of coffee trade between the largest coffee importer in the world and its neighbours.
