With Donald Trump’s tariff plan, president of the United States, global tariff rates are imposed, the lowest is 10% and which entered into force this Saturday, April 5.
While on April 9, the individualized reciprocal tariff with higher rates for imports that come from the countries with which the United States has the highest commercial deficits will enter into force.
For imports from Guatemala, 10% tariff was imposed in the same way as the rest of the countries in the region that are part of the United States Free Trade Agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic (DR-CAFTA), except Nicaragua to which 18% was set.
The new tax is valid as of this Saturday, April 5, which means that, the products that failed to be in transit before this date already applied 10% of generalized tariff rate, explained Carlos Steiger, analyst of logistic competitiveness of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (AGEXPORT).
What was in transit before that day has the possibility that this new rate will not be applied, he added.
According to the executive order that Trump signed, it will not apply to the products that were already loaded on a ship and in transit to the United States before 00:01 local time of the East (04:01 GMT) on Saturday, April 5, the EFE agency reported.
Amador Carballido, general director of AGEXPORT explains that it is considered in transit based on the date on which the shipping company issues the Bill of Larking, which is also called the boarding knowledge, and that it refers to the document of receipt of the shipping of the merchandise to certify the state in which they are found. This document is issued when the exporter delivers the load in the port, r the moment does not have a fact of how much merchandise was in transit before it began on April 5, but in that case the load is little which, during the course of about three days, will be arriving in the United States from Guatemala, the executive added.
It was also reported that according to the order signed by the US authorities, some goods such as oil, gas, copper, gold, silver, platinum, paladium, construction wood, semiconductors, pharmaceutical products and minerals that are not found in US soil, however, in this case Carbalido explains that these products do not have these products towards that country.
In the case of steel and aluminum, 10% is not applied but 25% that entered into force on March 12, 2025.
Guatemala total exports to the United States were US $ 4,614 million in 2024, so the producers and exporters sectors have preliminary that the cost of tariff to the products that are sent from the country would be around US $ 461 million when applying 10% rate generalized.
The most exported
76% of the export to the United States, wishes Guatemala, concentrated on 15 products during 2024, according to the Customs Administration, among these: fresh bananas or bananas with US $ 985.3 million; Coffee US $ 382.7 million; T-shirts and interior t-shirts, US $ 384.7 million; Shirts, blouses and knit blouses for women, US $ 252.6 million, and melons, watermelons and fresh papayas, US $ 248.3 million; According to FOB values.
Until Friday, April 4, 99.9% of the products marketed between Guatemala and the United States had already finished the BP of BTC based, and it was considered that they had a reciprocal tariff. However, now the countries of Central America lose their tariff preferences for the importation of their products to the United States, but these do not apply tariff to what comes from that American country.
The sectors have asked the Guatemala Government to install a negotiation with the United States by diplomatic and commercial route to achieve the reduction of that rate or exemption. The Ministry of Economy indicated on April 2 that the new tariffs violate the FTA and that it has approaches with national sectors, with the Guatemalan ambassador to Washington, and US authorities, however it does not inform if it has established any negotiating table with that country.
While American buyers have already begun to request that Guatemalan exporters that absorb 10% tariff, this sector says that there is no ability to absorb an additional load.