U.S. tariff exemptions cut Brazil’s affected exports from 34% to 22%, Alckmin says

With the new U.S. exemptions, the share of Brazilian exports affected by the tariff hike has dropped from 34% to 22%, according to Geraldo Alckmin, vice president and head of the Ministry of Industry, Development, Trade and Services (MDIC). However, the moment is still one of “redoubled” negotiation, with a focus on the items that remain under the most burdensome tariff. The statements were made during a remote participation at an event held in São Paulo by the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham).

Alckmin recalled that there are still foods, machinery, and certain types of wood, among other manufactured goods, that remain challenges in the negotiation between Brazil and the United States.

The vice president noted that, initially, 36% of Brazil’s exports were subject to the tariff hike—a 40% surcharge that, when added to the pre-existing 10%, reached 50%. Other products were included under Section 232, announced in April, in which Brazil is treated the same as other external suppliers to the U.S. market.

See below a historical series of Brazilian container exports to the United States, starting in January 2022. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Container Exports to the United States | Jan 2022 to Sept 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

After the first conversations between Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and American President Donald Trump—including the in-person meeting in Malaysia—the negotiations advanced. According to the vice president, the United States removed softwood lumber from the Section 232 tariffs.

Last week, there was a breakthrough: the products affected by the tariff hike, which had already dropped from 36% to around 34% or 33%, now account for only 22% of Brazilian exports.

Source: Valor Econômico

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