U.S. removes reciprocal tariffs on some agri-products

The Trump administration released on Friday an executive order to eliminate reciprocal tariffs on some agricultural products to ease rising prices.



Coffee and tea; tropical fruits and fruit juices; cocoa and spices; bananas, oranges, and tomatoes; beef; and some fertilizers have been exempted from reciprocal tariffs, according to a fact sheet released by the White House.



The order took effect on Thursday. Duties already collected will be refunded.



U.S. President Donald Trump has now determined that it is necessary and appropriate to further modify the scope of the reciprocal tariffs, given the substantial progress in reciprocal trade negotiations, current domestic demand for certain products, and current domestic capacity to produce certain products, according to the White House.



The tariff exemptions should lower prices, and they mostly apply to food that is "not competitive in this country," like bananas, Trump told reporters on Friday.