Brazil’s objection to a potential U.S. tariff on its ethanol began as a dispute over reciprocity: in February 2025, Energy and Mining Minister Alexandre Silveira argued that the United States should discuss sugar access alongside ethanol. The issue later became part of a broader U.S. trade action. As of the latest located Brazilian policy update on August 28, 2026, the countries’ positions remained at odds.
Why Brazil called the potential tariff unreasonable
In a Reuters report published February 13, 2025, Silveira said a potential U.S. tariff on Brazilian ethanol was unreasonable because, in his view, the United States was not offering greater access for Brazilian sugar. Reuters quoted him: “The measure adopted by President Trump is unreasonable, as there is no mention of allowing greater Brazilian sugar exports to the U.S.”
His argument was about reciprocity, not ethanol alone. Silveira said the two countries had historically negotiated ethanol and sugar trade together and argued that any reciprocal arrangement should also address Brazilian sugar access to the U.S. market. His remarks came after President Donald Trump announced plans to raise tariffs; at the time, higher tariffs for major trading partners were expected by early April.
How the trade dispute changed after 2025
The February 2025 remarks addressed a possible tariff, not the later U.S. measure. On June 1, 2026, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) determined that some Brazilian policies, including those concerning ethanol market access, were actionable under Section 301. USTR announced a tariff action on July 15. A Federal Register notice set July 22, 2026, as the effective date for an additional 25% duty on covered Brazilian goods, subject to exemptions. The action addressed several issues and was not limited to ethanol.
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| Issue | Brazil’s stated position | U.S. action or position |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Brazil says its ethanol tariff is 18% and proposed discussing ethanol and sugar markets together. Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, updated August 28, 2026. | USTR’s Section 301 investigation covered digital trade and electronic payments, preferential tariffs, anti-corruption enforcement, intellectual property protection, ethanol market access, and illegal deforestation. Its additional 25% duty applied to covered goods, with exemptions. USTR announcement; Federal Register notice. |
| Legal framing | Brazil says its 18% ethanol tariff is nondiscriminatory and consistent with its WTO commitments. These are Brazil’s claims, not a WTO finding. | USTR determined that certain Brazilian measures were actionable under Section 301. That determination is the U.S. government’s position, not a WTO ruling. |
| Negotiation path | Brazil says it proposed handling ethanol and sugar markets jointly and that the United States had not answered the proposal as of August 28, 2026. | The USTR announcement described the investigation and tariff action; the cited sources do not establish a subsequent bilateral agreement. |
The available sources do not establish the final combined duty for every ethanol tariff classification. The broad additional tariff has exemptions, so the 25% figure alone should not be treated as the definitive total rate on a particular shipment.
What the trade figures show—and what they do not
The 2024 figures cited in Reuters indicate trade in both directions, but they do not by themselves settle whether either government’s policy is fair or WTO-consistent. Reuters, citing a White House fact sheet, reported U.S. ethanol imports from Brazil worth more than $200 million in 2024 and U.S. ethanol exports to Brazil worth $52 million that year.
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Reuters also cited a BTG Pactual report estimating that Brazil produced about 35 billion liters of ethanol in 2024, exported less than 6% of its production, and sent about 300 million liters to the United States. Brazil imported 192 million liters that year, including 109 million liters from the United States. These are historical figures for 2024, not current trade totals.
Silveira’s 2025 comparison included a claimed U.S. sugar tariff of $360 per tonne on imports outside preferential quotas, which he said equaled 81.2% at then-current market prices, and a U.S.-set quota of 147,540 tonnes for Brazil in the prior harvest. Reuters reported those as figures from his statement. They describe his contemporaneous case for reciprocity; they should not be read as current tariff rates or independently verified tariff calculations.
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Brazil’s WTO consultation request is not a ruling
On July 27, 2026, Brazil said it had requested WTO consultations with the United States concerning two Section 301 tariff measures. Brazil characterized the measures as unjustified and inconsistent with U.S. WTO obligations. The announcement records Brazil’s allegation and request for consultations; it does not establish that a WTO panel or other body has ruled on the merits.
Brazil’s August 2026 defense also cited a U.S. government estimate of a US$424.5 billion U.S. surplus in goods and services with Brazil over the previous 15 years. That is part of Brazil’s broader framing of the trade relationship, not a measure of the ethanol balance.
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What readers should take from the disagreement
- Brazil’s 2025 objection linked ethanol tariffs to sugar access and the principle of reciprocal treatment.
- Brazil’s claimed 18% ethanol tariff and the U.S. additional 25% tariff action are different measures, with different stated rationales and scopes.
- The U.S. action covered Brazilian goods subject to exemptions and followed a broader Section 301 investigation that included ethanol market access among several issues.
- Brazil’s WTO-consistency claims, USTR’s Section 301 determination, and Brazil’s request for WTO consultations are government positions and procedural events—not a final WTO judgment on the dispute.
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