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Source: Brazil asks US not to impose 50% tariff on Embraer planes and food products.

Sources familiar with the issue said on Tuesday that the Brazilian government asked the U.S. not to include food products or Embraer aircraft in the tariff of 50% it intends to impose starting August 1.

Sources said that the request was at the forefront of recent discussions between Brazilian officials and U.S. officials. This included three recent calls between Brazil's Vice-President and Trade Minister Geraldo Alckmin, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

The request was first published in the newspaper Folha de So Paulo on Monday.

The press office for the Brazilian Development and Trade Ministry headed by Alckmin denied the report and said that the government was working to suspend tariffs in all sectors.

A Brazilian official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss this sensitive subject acknowledged that there were some government priorities which it was not able to make public due a confidentiality clause within the negotiations.

The source also said that the company wanted to avoid the impression that it was trading some sectors in exchange for others. The same source added, however, that certain sectors should be given priority in the discussions due to their severity in some areas.

Embraer is the No. The government is most concerned about Embraer, the world's No. The company has warned that a tariff of 50% could lead to cancellations of orders, delayed deliveries, and job losses, which would negatively impact its revenue, just as the pandemic had.

Ports and Airports minister Silvio Costa Filho stated that the government would "do everything in its power" to assist Embraer, hinting towards the possibility of providing credit lines for the planemaker.

The U.S. also buys a lot of Brazilian food, including coffee and orange juice.

Trump's tariff plan could have a devastating effect on Brazil's citrus belt. Factory production is already being cut back and farmers are considering letting fruit rot because of low prices. Tariffs may also halt the flow Brazilian coffee into the U.S.

(source: Reuters)