Brazilian Government Reduces Import Taxes on 11 Food Products to Zero
The executive committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Foreign Trade, an agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services, has decided to reduce import taxes on 11 food products to zero during an extraordinary meeting held on Thursday, March 13.
Affected Products
The list of products includes:
- Meat
- Sardines
- Roasted coffee
- Coffee beans
- Olive oil
- Sugar
- Palm oil
- Sunflower oil
- Corn
- Pasta
- Biscuits
Objective
This measure aims to increase the supply of food products and reduce prices in the market, despite the current price hike attributed to climate and external factors. Low-income households spend up to 40% of their income on food.
Tax Reductions
The decision includes the following tax reductions:
- Frozen, boneless meat of bovine origin: from 10.8% to 0%
- Roasted, non-decaffeinated coffee (excluding coffee in capsules): from 9% to 0%
- Non-roasted, non-decaffeinated coffee beans: from 9% to 0%
- Corn grains (excluding those for sowing): from 7.2% to 0%
- Uncooked, unfilled, or otherwise prepared pasta: from 14.4% to 0%
- Biscuits: from 16.2% to 0%
- Extra virgin olive oil: from 9% to 0%
- Crude sunflower oil: from 9% to 0%
- Other cane sugars: from 14.4% to 0%
- Prepared or preserved sardines (whole or in pieces): from 32% to 0%, limited to 7,500 tons.
Opportunity for Tunisian Agri-Food Industry
This decision offers a great opportunity for the Tunisian agri-food industry. We are highly competitive in these segments and can capture a significant market share. In 2024, our exports to Brazil amounted to only 137.6 MTND (0.2% of total exports), while our imports totaled 1,392.8 MTND (1.7% of global imports for the year). State support, particularly in logistics, is crucial, as this opportunity does not arise every day.
