Economic Crisis Forces Beekeepers to Abandon Bees in Brazil

Written by Sara Aquino

Published on 23/07/2025 at 18:51

A tarifa de 50% sobre produtos brasileiros, incluindo o mel, pelos EUA, faz produtores abandonarem abelhas e contêineres ficam parados.

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The 50% Tariff on Brazilian Products, Including Honey, by the U.S. Causes Producers to Abandon Bees and Containers to Sit Idle.

A new and severe blow shakes the already fragile Brazilian beekeeping sector: the imposition of a 50% tariff on Brazilian products, including honey, by the United States.

This measure, announced and set to take effect on August 1, 2025, is causing contract cancellations, container standstill, and a scenario of great uncertainty for honey producers, who are already dealing with the abandonment of bees and a drastic decline in income.

The 50% Tariff: An Unprecedented Obstacle for Brazilian Honey

The 50% tariff imposed by the U.S., which is the highest rate among the countries notified by the U.S. government, represents an unprecedented challenge for Brazilian honey exporters.

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Historically, the United States is the main destination for honey from Brazil, absorbing about 80% of national production. With this high taxation, Brazilian products become unfeasible for American buyers, who will seek cheaper alternatives in other markets.

The 50% Tariff on Brazilian Products, Including Honey, by the U.S. Causes Producers to Abandon Bees and Containers to Sit Idle. — Image: NSC Total

The news of the “tariff shock” has already provoked immediate damage. Exporting companies report order cancellations and containers sitting in ports, with tons of honey awaiting a solution.

The Central Cooperative of Beekeeping of the Brazilian Semi-Arid (Casa Apis), for example, saw a U.S. customer cancel the purchase of 95 tons of organic honey from Piauí, with part of the goods already at the port.

This not only generates financial losses but also creates a logistical bottleneck and a stock accumulation that further pressures the price of the item below production cost in the domestic market.

Abandonment of Bees and Falling Income: Crisis Intensifies

The new American tariff worsens a situation that was already delicate for beekeepers. With the family income of honey producers plummeting in recent months, the abandonment of bees has become a sad reality.

The difficulty in covering the costs of maintaining beehives – which include feeding, management, and health care – leads many to abandon the activity.

This loss of healthy colonies not only undermines the livelihoods of beekeepers but also has a significant environmental impact, reducing the capacity for natural pollination and affecting the production of other agricultural crops.

The sector was already facing competition from other large producers, such as Argentina, which has benefited from a more favorable exchange rate. Now, with the U.S. 50% tariff, the competitiveness of Brazilian honey in the international market is drastically compromised.

What to Do in the Bitter Scenario?

Brazilian beekeeping, vital for the economy and the environment, cries out for solutions. Representatives from the sector have been meeting with authorities to discuss alternatives and emergency measures. Among the proposals under discussion are:

Diplomatic Negotiations: Seek dialogue with the U.S. government to try to reverse or mitigate the tariff.

Diversification of Markets: Invest in finding new buyers for Brazilian honey in other regions of the world, reducing dependence on the American market.

Financial Support for Producers: Create emergency credit lines and subsidy programs to help beekeepers get through this crisis period and avoid widespread abandonment of bees.

Strengthening the Domestic Market: Encourage honey consumption in Brazil, valuing the national product and its benefits.

The current crisis is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of Brazilian agribusiness in the face of international trade policies.

It is essential that the government and the sector work together to protect honey producers and ensure that bees, so important for the planet, continue to buzz in our landscapes.

Do you believe that Brazil should retaliate with tariffs on U.S. products, or focus solely on negotiation and seeking new markets?

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Economic Crisis Forces Beekeepers to Abandon Bees in Brazil

The 50% Tariff on Brazilian Products, Including Honey, by the U.S. Causes Producers to Abandon Bees and Containers to Sit Idle.

The 50% Tariff: An Unprecedented Obstacle for Brazilian Honey

Abandonment of Bees and Falling Income: Crisis Intensifies

What to Do in the Bitter Scenario?

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Economic Crisis Forces Beekeepers to Abandon Bees in Brazil

The 50% Tariff on Brazilian Products, Including Honey, by the U.S. Causes Producers to Abandon Bees and Containers to Sit Idle.

The 50% Tariff: An Unprecedented Obstacle for Brazilian Honey

Abandonment of Bees and Falling Income: Crisis Intensifies

What to Do in the Bitter Scenario?

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

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