In today's international trade, having a Free Trade Agreement is no longer an impenetrable shield. While weight revaluation breaks the $3,200 barrier and domestic costs stifle the operating margins, a new regulatory threat was about to hit Colombian exports: the imposition of an additional 12.5 per cent tariff by the United States. However, in the middle of this perfect storm, the coffee sector managed to dodge the impact.
The dynamics of foreign trade are undergoing profound structural changes. As part of this policy transition, the temporary measure under Section 122 expired on 24 July. Instead, as of 24 July 2026, the final action of the investigations carried out under Section 301 by the Office of the United States Commercial Representative (USTR) entered into force officially. It is essential to understand the nature of such policies. Beyond the technical and policy justification focused on the monitoring of supply chains, the implementation of Section 301 shows a new reading of the world economic order. In practice, this mechanism has been consolidated as a political and commercial tool used by the United States to justify, prolong and impose new tariff barriers unilaterally. This explains why, despite having an existing Free Trade Agreement, our country and other economies continue to face reciprocal tariffs and unexpected restrictions
USTR found that 54 economies, including Colombia explicitly, have failed to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the import of goods produced with forced labour, imposing a general tariff of 12.5% on domestic exports to that market. On the other hand, a group of 6 economies that do have a prohibitive standard in place, but failed to implement it effectively received a differentiated rate of 10 per cent.
Despite the imposition of this general tax, for now the coffee sector has some tranquility for the development of its commercial operations. In the final resolution of the USTR, coffee as a product was universally exempt from the additional tariff of 12.5%.
It is key to note that, thanks to the joint and articulated work with the National Coffee Association (NCA) in the presentation of observations during the public consultation phase, the USTR recently decided to incorporate the instantaneous soluble coffee not flavoured into the final list of excluded products. This exemption covers the exportable supply of the sector in its various presentations, along with other agricultural goods such as bananas, avocado, pineapple, mango and cocoa.
Aranesthetic subheadings (HTSUS)
The tariff exemption fully covers the following United States Harmonized Tariff (HTSUS) codes:
• 0901.11.00: Coffee, not roasted, not decaffeinated
• 0901.12.00: Coffee, not roasted, decaffeinated
• 0901.21.00: Coffee, roasted, not decaffeinated
• 0901.22.00: Coffee, toasted, decaffeinated
• 0901.90.10: Coffee casings and casings
• 0901.90.20: Coffee substitutes containing coffee
• 2101.11.21: Instantaneous coffee, not flavoured
• 2101.11.29: Extracts, essences and concentrates of coffee other than instantaneous coffee not flavoured
• 2101.12.90: Preparations based on extracts, essences or concentrates or on coffee
Haber garantizado el ingreso del café con un arancel del 0% representa un escudo operativo indispensable ante la actual coyuntura financiera. Actualmente, las agencias exportadoras enfrentan una fuerte presión por el fortalecimiento del peso colombiano frente al dólar, cuya tasa de cambio ha roto el piso de los 3.200 pesos, reduciendo drásticamente los ingresos en moneda local.
Esta caída en los ingresos por exportación contrasta con el incremento en la estructura de costos internos, donde inciden mayores impuestos, altas tasas de interés y un aumento del salario mínimo superior al 20%. Si a este estrechamiento de los márgenes financieros se le hubiese sumado un sobrecosto arancelario del 12,5%, la viabilidad de muchos despachos se habría visto seriamente comprometida. Evitar esta carga tributaria permite preservar el capital de trabajo de las agencias y mantener la fluidez del comercio de exportación.
El entorno del comercio internacional ha cambiado: la existencia de un Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) ya no exime a los países de enfrentarse a medidas unilaterales, aranceles recíprocos e investigaciones técnicas complejas.
Ante esta realidad, la anticipación regulatoria, el trabajo de vocería técnica y la articulación con aliados estratégicos en el exterior resultan fundamentales para el futuro de la caficultura. La inclusión del café instantáneo no saborizado en las exenciones fue el resultado de presiones conjuntas por parte de varios miembros del sector.
El análisis profundo de estas medidas arancelarias, la adaptación a los nuevos marcos normativos de Estados Unidos y las estrategias financieras para mitigar el riesgo cambiario actual serán ejes centrales de debate en nuestra90 Coffee Summit. Desde Asoexport, extendemos una cordial invitación a todos los afiliados y actores de la cadena exportadora a participar en este gran encuentro, que se llevará a cabo los días 5 y 6 de noviembre de 2026 en Cartagena, Colombia. Este espacio de diálogo institucional será fundamental para seguir trazando acciones conjuntas que protejan la competitividad del sector y reafirmar la importancia de Asoexport para Colombia y para el futuro de la caficultura en un mercado global cada vez más desafiante.
