The United States has imposed tariffs on approximately 52 percent of its food imports — covering roughly $116 billion worth of goods based on 2024 values, according to analysis by the Tax Foundation (February 2026). While the measures are designed to address America’s trade deficit, their effects are reverberating far beyond US borders, reshaping commodity flows and creating new uncertainties for food-importing nations worldwide.
The tariff regime has evolved rapidly. The Tax Foundation’s comprehensive tracker shows that following sweeping IEEPA-based duties implemented since early 2025, the Trump administration has issued exemptions for certain agricultural products. On November 13, 2025, an Executive Order eliminated duties on products like coffee, tea, fruits, cocoa, spices, beef, and fertiliser, as reported by Farm Progress (November 17, 2025). Additional agricultural exemptions were issued for Brazil on November 21, 2025, and tariff rates were adjusted downward for Taiwan (to 15 percent) and India (to 18 percent) in early 2026.
But the overall structure remains substantial. According to the Tax Foundation analysis, 96 percent of EU food imports continue to face an IEEPA tariff of 15 percent. Major grain producers like Brazil face 50 percent rates, Canada 35 percent, and India 25 percent, as documented by the Economics Observatory (September 2025).
The fertiliser dimension is particularly consequential for developing nations. Canada supplies up to 85 percent of the potash used by American farmers, according to the Economics Observatory. With that supply now subject to tariffs, global fertiliser prices face upward pressure. Countries like Nigeria, which depend heavily on fertiliser imports to maintain agricultural productivity, are vulnerable to cost increases that ripple through international supply chains.
The disruption to global grain trade follows a pattern that economists have warned about. The Economics Observatory noted that the world’s major grain-producing nations are concentrated among a small number of countries. When the largest exporter implements protectionist measures, alternative suppliers cannot easily absorb displaced demand. For developing countries where households allocate 50 to 70 percent of income to food, even marginal price increases can have severe consequences.
American farmers are also under pressure. As reported by AgTech Navigator (January 21, 2026), farmers from Iowa, Kansas, and Montana voiced frustration with the administration’s trade policy during a recent webinar, sharing how tariffs are impacting operations, margins, and communities. “Kansas farmers depend heavily on export markets, especially for grain, sorghum, wheat, and soybeans. When tariffs disrupt trade or invite retaliation, prices fall, and markets become less reliable,” said Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union.
Brazil has emerged as a major beneficiary. AgTech Navigator reported that the country posted record agricultural exports of $169.2 billion in 2025 as trade patterns shifted away from the US.
For Nigeria, the effects are indirect but real. Global commodity price volatility driven by trade disputes feeds into import costs. Fertiliser price increases raise domestic production costs. And the broader instability in trade relationships creates planning uncertainty for both Nigerian importers and the policymakers managing the country’s food security strategy. As the US continues renegotiating trade terms with partners worldwide, food-importing nations across sub-Saharan Africa are watching closely — not as participants in the negotiations, but as countries whose food costs are determined in part by decisions made in Washington.