Trump Withdraws Food Import Tariffs Amid Public Backlash Over Rising Prices

Washington DC: Faced with backlash over misguided policies and skyrocketing market prices, U.S. President Donald Trump has reduced import duties on food products. Various food items including coffee, bananas, and beef have been exempted from tariffs. Products heavily imported from India—such as mangoes, pomegranates, and tea—are also on the list of items for which duties have been removed. The heavy defeat Trump suffered in elections, including the New York mayoral race, also contributed to the decision to withdraw the tariffs.

The Trump administration had imposed a 10% base import duty on all imports from abroad, with additional tariffs on countries like India, Brazil, China, and Mexico. Trump had maintained that even with higher tariffs on imported goods, domestic prices would not rise. However, the hike in tariffs caused food prices to shoot up. Reports indicate that the prices of several products imported from India increased by up to 30% in the U.S. market. Public outrage over inflation was reflected in the election results.

Tariffs have now been removed on cocoa, vanilla beans, beef products, avocados, coconuts, guava, lime, oranges, pineapples, various peppers, tomatoes, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, fennel, ginger, mace, nutmeg, saffron, turmeric, cashew nuts, tapioca, and taro, among others.