Brazilian exports to US rise for first time since Trump tariff hike
The value of Brazilian exports to the United States rose 3.7 percent in June 2026, marking the first increase since July 2025, when President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian products.
The data were released on Friday (Jul. 3) by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services.
According to Herlon Brandão, director of Statistics and Foreign Trade Studies at the ministry, the increase was driven by an average 11 percent rise in export prices, while the volume shipped to the US market still fell by 6.6 percent.
United States
In June, trade between Brazil and the United States was balanced, with a slight Brazilian surplus.
Key figures:
• Exports: USD 3.472 billion (+3.7% compared with June 2025)
• Imports: USD 3.471 billion (-12.3%)
• Trade balance: surplus of USD 1 million
Despite the recovery in June, cumulative figures for the first half of the year still show a decline in Brazilian sales to the United States.
January through June:
• Exports: USD 17.428 billion (-13% compared with the first half of 2025)
• Imports: USD 18.950 billion (-12.5%)
• Trade balance: deficit of USD 1.522 billion
China extends its lead
China maintained its position as Brazil’s leading trading partner and recorded strong growth in purchases of Brazilian products.
In June:
• Exports: USD 12.291 billion (+24.4%)
• Imports: USD 7.801 billion (+27.1%)
• Surplus: USD 4.490 billion
In the first half of the year:
• Exports: USD 58.322 billion (+21.9%)
• Imports: USD 38.545 billion (+8%)
• Surplus: USD 19.777 billion
European Union
Trade with the European Union also expanded in June, although the Brazilian government still considers it too early to assess the impact of the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European bloc, which provisionally entered into force in May.
In June:
• Exports: USD 4.888 billion (+32.4%)
• Imports: USD 4.708 billion (+13.9%)
• Surplus: USD 180 million
In the first half of the year:
• Exports: USD 26.906 billion (+12.8%)
• Imports: USD 24.263 billion (-0.4%)
• Surplus: USD 2.643 billion
According to Herlon Brandão, there are already reports of companies taking advantage of the agreement’s benefits, but there are still not enough data to measure its impact on foreign trade.
