2025-07-27 11:03
50% import tariff on Brazilian açaí starts August 1 Açaí bowls could become luxury items due to price hike Brazilian producers struggle to absorb tariff costs, may seek new markets NEW YORK, July 27 (Reuters) - Bowls and smoothies made of the Amazon berry açaí have become ubiquitous , opens new tab in many cities across the United States, but consumers may think twice about shelling out after August 1 when a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil kicks in. Nearly all of the açaí pulp sold in the U.S., as well as in Europe and Asia, where people have also developed a taste for the tangy fruit, comes from Brazil. If no trade deal is reached between the Trump administration and the Brazilian government, the bowls could cost significantly more at hundreds of shops from New York to Los Angeles. Sign up here. "People already complain a bit about the price. If it gets more expensive, I guess it will become more of a luxury thing," said Ashley Ibarra, who manages a Midtown Manhattan store owned by Playa Bowls LLC, a New Jersey-based company with around 300 shops in the U.S. With toppings like banana and granola, a bowl of açaí costs around $18 at Playa Bowls in New York. Competitor Oakberry Inc., the world's largest açaí chain with 700 stores in 35 countries, sells a smaller portion at a nearby Manhattan store for $13. Playa Bowls declined to comment on the tariffs, and Oakberry did not respond to a request for comment. Açaí companies tout the product as an energy booster, a powerful antioxidant and a source of Omega-3 and other nutrients. The Food and Drug Administration said more research is needed to evaluate its possible health benefits. "A friend introduced me to it one day, and I loved it, so I occasionally buy it," said Milan Shek, 50, who was having an açaí bowl mixed with cereals and fresh fruits one recent afternoon in New York. With a large markup, he said he would probably eat it less often. Brazil's production and exports of açaí have skyrocketed in recent years. The berry went from being a local delicacy in small towns in the state of Para where it is mostly grown, to a widely popular treat across Brazil. Soon, exports began to be sent to other countries. Production increased from around 150,000 metric tons ten years ago to nearly 2 million tons last year, according to data from Brazil's statistics agency IBGE and the governments of Para and Amazonas. The U.S. is the largest foreign buyer, followed by Europe and Japan. Nazareno Alves da Silva, head of the Amazon Açaí Producers Association in Para, said companies were calculating how to absorb such a large cost increase in order to continue exports to the U.S. He wasn't optimistic. "Right now, we still don't know how to do it. The numbers don't match," he said. The trade would get too expensive for many U.S. importers, while Brazilian producers would be unable to cut prices enough to accommodate the tariff, he said, adding that producers would likely have to find other markets. Even those without an açaí habit are likely to feel the pinch of the Trump administration's tariffs on Brazil. The South American country supplies about a third of the coffee consumed in the U.S., as well as orange juice and beef. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-lovers-amazon-berry-aa-feel-tariff-pinch-2025-07-27/
2025-07-27 06:23
HONG KONG, July 27 (Reuters) - Heavy rain around Beijing and across north and northeast China has killed two and forced thousands to relocate as authorities warned of further widespread rain and risks of disasters including landslides and flooding. Two were dead and two missing in Hebei province, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday morning. Overnight rain dumped a record 145 mm (5.7 inches) per hour on Fuping in the industrial city of Baoding. Sign up here. China’s Water Resources Ministry has issued targeted flood warnings to 11 provinces and regions, including Beijing and neighbouring Hebei, for floods from small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents. Floods and landslides affected many villages in the Miyun district of the capital, with the rural town of Fengjiayu the most severely impacted and electricity and communications cut in some villages, CCTV said. More than 3,000 people have been transferred out of the area, Beijing News Radio reported on Sunday. The flow into the Miyun Reservoir has increased, hitting a record peak of 6,550 cubic meters (231,000 cubic feet) per second, Beijing authorities said. Rain will intensify in most areas of the capital, with the expected cumulative rainfall in some areas nearby including Miyun reaching more than 100 mm over six hours, Beijing's Meteorological Observatory said. Low-lying areas are prone to waterlogging, it said. Beijing issued a warning on Saturday for geological disasters, including landslides and mudslides, after intense rainfall unleashed, for a second time, a year’s worth of rain on nearby Baoding. Northern China has experienced record precipitation in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. Some scientists link the increased rainfall in China’s usually arid north to global warming. The storms are part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world's second-largest economy. Baoding's Xizhuang station recorded 540 mm (21 inches) over an eight-hour period, exceeding Baoding's average annual rainfall of about 500 mm. The deluge affected more than 46,000 people, forcing 4,655 to evacuate, CCTV reported. Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding are, as they challenge the country's ageing flood defences, threaten to displace millions and wreak havoc on China's $2.8 trillion agricultural sector. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/rain-northern-china-kills-2-forces-thousands-relocate-2025-07-27/
2025-07-27 02:56
HONG KONG, July 27 (Reuters) - China on Sunday announced a plan to promote consumption of agricultural products and "optimise green and high-quality products to meet multi-level consumer needs", its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-announces-plan-boost-consumption-agricultural-products-2025-07-27/
2025-07-27 01:40
SYDNEY, July 27 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that a decision to ease rules on U.S. beef imports was not prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump this week said the U.S. would sell "so much" beef to Australia after Canberra announced the relaxation of restrictions, potentially smoothing trade talks with Washington. Sign up here. In place since 2003, the curbs were due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, which can kill cattle as well as people who eat infected beef. When asked on Sunday if the easing had anything to do with Trump, Albanese said "No, this has been a process that has been there for 10 years, the review process". "This wasn't a political decision," Albanese said in remarks on Australian Broadcasting Corp television, adding that Trump had not raised the issue with him in a phone call. The comments come after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the easing a win for Trump. In April, Trump singled out the beef trade disparity with Australia after Australia's beef exports to the U.S. surged last year, reaching A$4 billion amid a slump in U.S. beef production. By contrast, Australia's agriculture minister said the rules were relaxed after a "rigorous science and risk-based assessment" concluded that U.S. measures to monitor and control cattle movement were effectively managing biosecurity risks. News of Australia changing its policy was first reported by the Australian Financial Review. The report said Australia would use the easing of rules to argue its case for the U.S. to wind back 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium and Trump's threat to impose a 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals. The National Party, part of Australia's conservative opposition coalition, has said that "biosecurity should not be political" and called for an independent scientific panel to review the decision. A loosening of beef import rules is not expected to boost U.S. shipments significantly because Australia is a major beef producer and exporter whose prices are much lower, according to analysts. Last year, Australia shipped almost 400,000 metric tons of beef worth $2.9 billion to the United States, with just 269 tons of U.S. product moving the other way. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-pm-says-easing-curbs-us-beef-not-prompted-by-trump-2025-07-27/
2025-07-26 19:59
Trump sees 50-50 chance for US-EU trade pact EU must "buy down" tariffs for deal, Trump says Potential deal includes 15% tariff on EU goods EU votes for countertariffs on $109 billion of U.S. goods American Chamber warns conflict risks $9.5 trillion in trade BRUSSELS/EDINBURGH, July 26 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen headed to Scotland on Saturday ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday afternoon, Commission spokespeople said, as officials from both sides said they were nearing a trade agreement. Trump, in Scotland for a few days of golfing and bilateral meetings, told reporters upon his arrival on Friday evening that he was looking forward to meeting with von der Leyen, calling her a highly respected leader. Sign up here. He repeated his view that there was a 50-50 chance that the U.S. and the 27-member European Union could reach a framework trade pact, adding that Brussels wanted to "make a deal very badly." If it happened, he said it would be the biggest trade agreement reached yet by his administration, surpassing the $550 billion accord reached with Japan earlier this week. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also departed Washington for Scotland on Saturday to engage in high-level talks with EU officials before the meeting between Trump and von der Leyen, said an administration source who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We're cautiously optimistic that there will be a deal reached," the source said. "But it's not over till it's over." The European Commission on Thursday said a negotiated trade solution with the United States was within reach, even as EU members voted to approve countertariffs on 93 billion euros ($109 billion) of U.S. goods in case the talks collapse. EU diplomats say a possible deal between Washington and Brussels would likely include a broad 15% tariff on EU goods imported into the U.S., mirroring the U.S.-Japan deal, along with a 50% tariff on European steel and aluminum. The broad tariff rate would be half the 30% duties that Trump has threatened to slap on EU goods from August 1. To obtain a deal, Trump said the EU would have to "buy down" that 30% tariff rate, although he gave no specifics. He told reporters there was "not a lot" of wiggle room on the 50% tariffs that the U.S. is imposing on steel and aluminum imports, adding, "because if I do it for one, I have to do it for all." It remains unclear if Washington would exempt EU imports from other sectoral tariffs on automobiles, pharmaceuticals and other goods that have already been announced or are pending. Combining goods, services and investment, the EU and the United States are each other's largest trading partners by far. The American Chamber of Commerce in Brussels warned in March that any conflict jeopardized $9.5 trillion of business in the world's most important commercial relationship. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/eu-chief-von-der-leyen-heads-scotland-trade-talks-with-trump-2025-07-26/
2025-07-26 19:34
In Greece, 5 taken to hospitals with burns, smoke inhalation Greek fire brigade says 52 fires broke out in 24 hours Hundreds of people evacuated throughout Greece DROSOPIGI, Greece July 26 (Reuters) - Firefighters were battling wildfires across Greece and the Western Balkans on Saturday as the south of Europe sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer, with some villages and settlements being evacuated in Greece and Albania. Explosions could be heard as huge clouds of smoke covered Drosopigi village 25 km north of Athens, where factories with flammable material are located. Helicopters dropped water and 145 firefighters battled the flames, assisted by 44 vehicles, seven helicopters and 10 aircraft. Sign up here. Two houses caught fire while residents of the nearby village Krioneri were instructed by authorities to leave towards Athens. Five people were taken to hospitals over burns and smoke inhalation. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Greek weather service said. "In the last 24 hours alone, 52 agroforestry fires broke out, 44 of which were dealt with immediately, in their initial stage," said Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade. In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents. PEOPLE RESCUED FROM BEACHES On the Greek island of Evia, 128 firefighters and 29 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts. Residents of the island's Triada area were evacuated while two fire trucks were damaged and five firefighters injured during the operation. The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month. On the island of Kythera, residents from several settlements were evacuated to safe areas and Coast Guard forces said they rescued 138 people, including an infant, from the beach of Limnionas near the area of the fire. In the area of Messinia, south of Athens, residents of the Kryoneri and Sellas villages were also told to leave. These sites were on a list of Greek regions on high alert for wildfires due to record-breaking temperatures and strong winds due on Saturday. In Kosovo, authorities managed to extinguish 17 blazes fueled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said. In the southern town of Prizren, a fire engulfed a farm, killing eight cows, according to local emergency services. Local media reported that a separate fire in eastern Kosovo killed around 40 sheep. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/greece-battles-wildfires-across-country-evacuates-villages-2025-07-26/
