Brazil’s sugar exports to U.S. fall more than 80% after tariff hike

Brazil has cut its sugar exports to the United States by more than 80% since President Donald Trump’s administration began imposing 50% tariffs on Brazilian products on August 6.

In September, shipments of sugar to U.S. ports totaled 21,100 tonnes, down 84.2% compared with the same month last year. In value, exports fell 77.3% to US$14.9 million, according to data released on Monday (Oct. 6) by Brazil’s Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex), part of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC).

Combining August and September — both months affected by the tariff hike — Brazil exported 88.1% less sugar to the U.S. than in the same period last year, totaling 29,600 tonnes. Export revenue fell 82.3%, to US$21.3 million.

See below a historical overview of sugar exports to the United States starting from January 2022. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Sugar Exports to the United States | Jan 2022 to Aug 2025 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

On Monday (Oct. 6), after months of negotiations, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke by phone with Donald Trump. According to a statement from Brazil’s Secretariat for Social Communication (Secom), Lula used the roughly 30-minute call to urge the White House to reverse both the tariff increases on Brazilian products and the restrictive measures applied against Brazilian officials.

Brazil’s sugar exports to the U.S. come mainly from mills in the North and Northeast, which benefit from a special quota exempt from regular U.S. sugar import tariffs. In addition, organic sugar producers in the Center-South region also export to the American market, their main customer.

Before the tariff hikes, exports to the U.S. were already slowing, though less sharply. Between January and June, Brazil exported 52.5% less sugar to the U.S. than it did in the same period in 2024, totaling 248,300 tonnes. Revenue from those exports fell 51.7%, to US$139.6 million.

Source: Globo Rural

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