en.Wedoany.com Reported - Fausto Varela, President of the Steel Industry Association of Minas Gerais (Sindifer-MG, affiliated with FIEMG), expressed a positive assessment of the public hearing held in the United States on the 7th, which discussed the possibility of imposing new import tariffs on Brazilian pig iron. The measure proposed by the U.S. government suggests a 25% tariff, plus a second-tier rate of 12.5%, totaling up to 37.5%.

The association argues that Brazilian pig iron should be included in the exception list, citing its importance to the U.S. steel industry supply chain and the potential economic impact of the tariffs on both the Brazilian and American markets.

During the hearing, Sindifer-MG emphasized that Brazil is a traditional supplier of pig iron to the United States. According to the entity, approximately 60% of the pig iron imported by the U.S. last year came from Brazil. The association also noted that imposing tariffs could increase costs for U.S. steel production, as pig iron is a key raw material for the steel industry.

Sindifer-MG also addressed issues related to ongoing U.S. investigations, including Section 301 and forced labor topics. The entity stressed that the Brazilian pig iron industry is not involved in the practices under investigation and does not source products from countries or suppliers associated with such violations. A decision on whether to implement the new tariffs is expected to be announced on July 15.