reminded him that the United States taxed Brazilian sugar in an extremely harsh way
For decades, Brazil has stood as the world's foremost sugar exporter, yet at the American border its dominance meets a wall of tariffs that can reach 140 percent — a quiet contradiction in a global economy that speaks the language of free trade. As President Trump renewed his appetite for protectionism with fresh levies on steel and ethanol, Brazilian Senator Tereza Cristina stepped forward to name an older wound, one she says she once brought to Trump's own attention. Her public appeal is less a sudden alarm than the resurfacing of a long-running tension between agricultural power and political protection — a reminder that trade fairness is rarely settled, only periodically renegotiated.
- Trump's new tariffs on steel and ethanol have reignited fears in Brazil that its agricultural exports — sugar chief among them — face an increasingly hostile American market.
- Brazil controls 40 percent of global sugar trade yet cannot freely access the United States, where a quota system dating to the 1990s caps imports and punishes excess volumes with tariffs as steep as 140 percent.
- Senator Tereza Cristina broke publicly with diplomatic silence, posting on social media to expose the asymmetry and invoking a direct past conversation with Trump as evidence that Brazil has long sought relief.
- Her call for reciprocity signals that the Brazilian Senate is preparing to pressure the Trump administration on trade, framing sugar and ethanol access as matters of economic justice, not mere commercial preference.
- The moment is charged: with trade policy dominating global negotiations, Brazil's agricultural sector watches closely, aware that the window for dialogue may be narrow and the stakes for producers very high.
Brazil's sugar industry supplies nearly half the world's exports, yet it has long encountered a paradox at the American border: tariffs that can soar to 140 percent on shipments exceeding the quota assigned to Brazilian producers — a system in place since the 1990s that has shielded American growers from the world's most competitive supplier.
When President Trump announced new tariffs on steel and ethanol last Thursday, Senator Tereza Cristina, former Agriculture Minister under Jair Bolsonaro and current leader of the PP caucus in Brazil's Senate, chose the moment to air a grievance that predates this administration. In a social media post, she recalled raising the sugar tariff issue directly with Trump during his first term. "I reminded him that the United States taxed Brazilian sugar in an extremely harsh way — a product that, like our ethanol, comes from sugarcane," she wrote, without specifying the date or outcome of that exchange.
The quota mechanics are blunt: each country receives an allowance to ship sugar into America at a reduced rate, and beyond that threshold, the tariff wall rises sharply. For Brazil — which produces roughly one-fifth of the world's sugar and dominates 40 percent of global exports — this ceiling has never translated into easy American market access.
Cristina closed her post with a pledge to monitor US tariff policy on both sugar and ethanol, invoking the principle of reciprocity as the standard by which she would measure any future negotiations. Her words suggest the Brazilian Senate is readying itself to engage the Trump administration on trade — not as a new confrontation, but as the latest chapter in a dispute that has simmered for years, waiting for the right moment to demand an answer.
Brazil's sugar industry, which supplies nearly half the world's exports, has long faced an uncomfortable reality at the American border: tariffs that can climb to 140 percent on shipments that exceed the quota assigned to Brazilian producers. On Thursday, Senator Tereza Cristina, who leads the PP caucus in the upper chamber, decided to air this grievance publicly, posting on social media about the barriers the United States maintains against Brazilian sugar entering its market.
Cristina's complaint arrived as President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on steel and ethanol—products that, like sugar, flow from Brazil's agricultural heartland. The senator, who served as Agriculture Minister from 2019 to 2022 under Jair Bolsonaro, framed the moment as one demanding attention. She invoked her own experience in that role, recalling a meeting with Trump during his first term in which she had raised this very subject directly with him.
"When I was minister, I participated in a meeting where we discussed this exact issue with President Trump," she wrote, "and I reminded him that the United States taxed Brazilian sugar in an extremely harsh way—a product that, like our ethanol, comes from sugarcane." She did not specify when that meeting occurred or what the tariff rate had been at that time.
The United States has maintained a tariff-quota system for sugar imports since the 1990s. The mechanics are straightforward: each country receives an allowance of sugar it can ship into America at a lower rate. Beyond that quota, the tariff wall rises sharply—potentially to 140 percent for any excess volume. It is a form of protection that has sheltered American sugar producers from global competition for three decades.
Brazil's position in global sugar markets is dominant. The country produces roughly one-fifth of the world's sugar and controls about 40 percent of all sugar that crosses international borders. Yet despite this commanding share, Brazilian exporters have never found easy access to the American market. The quota system ensures that even the world's largest supplier must accept limits on how much it can sell there.
Cristina used her post to signal that she would be watching these developments closely. She emphasized the importance of reciprocity in international trade—the idea that if one country opens its market, others should do the same. "I will continue to monitor all of this closely, always seeking dialogue, to ensure that our producers and our exports are not harmed," she said. The comment suggests that the Senate is preparing to engage with the Trump administration on trade matters, at least on the sugar question.
The timing matters. Trump's new tariff announcements have put trade policy front and center in global negotiations. For Brazil, a country whose agricultural exports are central to its economy, the question of American market access—particularly for sugar and ethanol—has become urgent again. Cristina's invocation of her past conversation with Trump suggests that this is not a new fight, but one that has simmered for years, waiting for the right moment to resurface.
Notable Quotes
When I was minister, I participated in a meeting where we discussed this exact issue with President Trump, and I reminded him that the United States taxed Brazilian sugar in an extremely harsh way.— Senator Tereza Cristina
I will continue to monitor all of this closely, always seeking dialogue, to ensure that our producers and our exports are not harmed.— Senator Tereza Cristina
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Tereza Cristina decide to speak up about this now, after all these years?
Trump's new tariff announcements on steel and ethanol created an opening. When the administration signals it's willing to use tariffs as a tool, it's the moment to remind them of existing barriers that hurt your own producers.
She mentions a meeting with Trump during his first term. Why not just say when it was or what the rate was then?
She may not have wanted to pin herself to specific numbers that could be challenged, or the details may have faded. What mattered more was establishing that she'd already raised the issue—that this isn't new ground.
Brazil controls 40 percent of global sugar exports. How does a country that dominant still get locked out?
The quota system predates Brazil's dominance. Once it's in place, it's hard to dismantle. American sugar producers have political power at home, and the tariff wall protects them from competition, even from the world's largest supplier.
What does "reciprocity" mean in her statement?
She's saying: if the US wants to sell its goods to Brazil, it should open its market to Brazilian sugar. It's a negotiating principle—tit for tat. Right now, the US gets access while maintaining barriers.
Is this likely to change under Trump?
That's the bet Cristina is making by speaking now. Trump talks about fair deals and reciprocity. Whether he applies that logic to sugar, or whether American sugar interests lobby him to keep the barriers, is the real question.