On 11 May 2022, the Government of Brazil announced the reduction of import tariffs on staple food items, including maize, wheat grain (other than durum wheat) and flour, pastry and biscuits, beef (boneless, frozen) and chicken (cuts, frozen). The measure, which applies to countries outside the MERCOSUR duty-free trade bloc, took effect on 12 May 2022 and will be valid until 31 December 2022. The aim is to address high food inflation, which surged 13 percent in April 2022 on an annual basis.

In addition, tariffs on imports of sulfuric acid (an input for production of fertilizers) and the fungicide Mancozeb were reduced to zero and 4 percent, respectively, in an effort to contain increasing costs of agricultural inputs.

While the contribution of maize imports to domestic needs is marginal, the country imported about 55 percent of wheat consumption requirements during the previous five years. Imports of wheat grain and flour from non-MERCOSUR countries were on average 8 percent of the total wheat imports in the 2018-2022 period.