Belem, Brazil (AP) – US President Donald Trump Tariffs imposed Of 50% of Brazilian exports in July, Acai producer Ailson Ferreira Moreira quickly felt worried.
After all, if American consumers suddenly couldn’t afford it, who was trying to eat it all of that Amazon Berry, world-renowned as a delicious, refreshing, nutritious superfood?
As a major importer of Brazilian berriesAsai smoothies and bowl prices appear to rise certainly in the US.
“Asai produced here…if only the people here eat it, it would be a lot of aisai, right?” Moreira told the Associated Press, outside Belem, an Amazon city with 1.4 million residents, hosted this year. United Nations Climate Summit COP30 Climate Summit November. “If there’s too much acai here, people won’t be able to eat it all and the prices go down.”
One full crate of acai is sold at a local Brazilian market for around $50. This is currently expected to plummet. The US is by far the largest ACAI importer of Brazil’s total production volume, currently estimated at around 70,000 tons per year.
The impact already felt
The most vulnerable acai producers in Northern Para say they’ve already been attacked Tariffs imposed by the US governmentsurplus of berries without a clear destination will begin mount a few days after the new economic scenario unfolds.
Stronger exporters, such as Sao Paulo-State-based company Acai Tropicalia Mix, are also feeling the impact.
One of the owners, Roguerio de Carvalho, told the Associated Press last year that he exported to the US about 270 tons of asaic cream (an industrialized version of berries) to the United States, which is ready for consumption. He said that when tariffs began to loom, American importers left and clients stopped negotiations. Until the end of July, De Carvalho estimates that his company sold 27 tons to the US
“That’s the 1.5 million Brazilian Leisais ($280,000) we lost,” the businessman said. “We are confident that there will be a deal between the two countries to allow clients to not only return, but also to get some new countries.”
Tariffs related to the Bolsonaro incident
Trump has tied Brazil’s higher tariffs to the former trial President Jer Bolsonarowho is suspected to lead his role in his role, and is under house arrest A coup is planned to remain in officeDespite the loss of elections for the current leftist president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
And despite some Brazilian exports being exempt from tariffs, the fruit of acai is not among them.
Brazil’s Ministry of Industry did not reply to a request for comment on whether Acai Berries is one of the items remaining on the negotiation table with US trade representatives.
Flavor explosion
Almost all of the ACAIs consumed in the US started in Brazil, with Para alone accounting for 90% of the country’s total product. Several Amazon communities rely on harvests.
Harvesting acai is a physically demanding job where you need to climb tall trees with minimal safety equipment, then slide down branches full of berries to fill the basket and carefully place them in wooden boxes. Analysts say it will also help the producers protect the rainforest from illegal loggers, miners and cattle ranchers.
Belem’s night markets, such as the Ver-O-Peso Acai market, are hubs of activities where freshly harvested berries are brought by boat and ready for sale.
The Brazilian Fruit and Derivative Producers and Exporters Association estimates that there has been an explosive growth in ACAI exports from Para State, from less than one tonne in 1999 to less than one tonne in 2023 to over 61,000 tonne.
On Thursday, Brazil requested consultations at World Trade Organization Over the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on South American nations that came into effect Wednesday.
I agree that if it’s too late for Acai Harvester Mikael Silva Trindade, the future of trade is at risk as high US tariffs can disrupt the delicate balance between supply and demand that holds the industry.
“There’s no market (the excess of acai) anywhere,” Trindade told the Associated Press when he chose Berry in Para State. “The more exports, the more valuable it is. But if you sell too much, it stays here and is cheaper.”
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Mauricio Sabarese was reported from Sao Paulo.
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