NCGA Applauds US Action on Brazil, Says More Needs to Be Done

The Office of the United States Trade Representative this week placed 25% tariffs on most goods, including ethanol, imported into the United States from Brazil.

The move by USTR comes after a year-long investigation, under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act, showing that Brazil unfairly placed high, burdensome tariffs - to the tune of 18% - on U.S. ethanol imported into the country. In response to this development, Ohio Farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower issued the following statement:

"NCGA has been on the forefront of this issue, testifying before USTR and filing comments with the agency about Brazil's discriminatory trade practices. We are pleased to see that the Trump administration has done its due diligence by investigating Brazil's conduct and has acted on behalf of the nation's corn growers by levying tariffs to address this unfair trade disparity. If balance and fairness are not restored in our trade with Brazil, NCGA has recommended additional actions that USTR should take. "

USTR's actions come a week after NCGA released a new report detailing the price premiums U.S. farmers pay for their inputs compared to Brazilian farmers, their largest global competitor. The premiums are, in some cases, more than double the costs paid by farmers in South America.

Read Recent NCGA Testimony on This Issue