Canadian auto sector hopeful a U.S. trade deal will come with carve-outs
Friday marks the deadline in Canada's trade talks with the U.S., as President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 35 per cent tariffs on a wide variety of Canadian goods if the two countries don't reach an agreement before then.
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Canada News.Net
6 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Cocoa tariffs crush US firms, boost Canadian chocolate exports
LONDON/NEW YORK: U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are designed to strengthen domestic manufacturing. But in the chocolate industry, they're having the opposite effect, raising cocoa import costs and making U.S. production less competitive than factories in Canada and Mexico, industry executives and experts say. Thanks to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), chocolate exported to the U.S. from Canada and Mexico is tariff-free, regardless of where the cocoa is sourced. Meanwhile, U.S. manufacturers must now pay between 10 percent and 25 percent in tariffs on cocoa imports. Those rates could rise to 35 percent starting August 1. Canada has no tariffs on imported cocoa products like butter and powder, and Mexico grows its own beans, giving both countries a cost advantage over U.S.-based factories. Top U.S. chocolate producer Hershey, which has facilities in Canada and Mexico, estimated earlier that tariffs could cost it US$100 million in the second half of this year if they remain in place. The company recently introduced double-digit price hikes on products like Reese's cups, but said the increases were not related to tariffs. Smaller producers are also feeling the pressure. Taza Chocolate, based in Somerville, Massachusetts, had to pay over $24,000 in duties for a single container of cocoa from Haiti. Its next shipment from the Dominican Republic will cost more than $30,000 in tariffs. "For a company our size, that's our profit margin gone," said CEO Alex Whitmore. While he considered moving part of the production to Canada to benefit from USMCA, the investment was too risky in today's uncertain environment. "We're just hunkering down and hoping this will pass," he said. Customs data from Trade Data Monitor shows Canada's chocolate exports to the U.S. rose 10 percent in the first five months of this year. Industry insiders say Canadian and Mexican contract manufacturers are gaining market share, including multinationals like Barry Callebaut, which operates multiple facilities across North America. Barry Callebaut declined to comment, but CEO Peter Feld noted the company's presence in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico "allows us to navigate this environment." Contract chocolate makers supply raw chocolate to U.S. brands, which then add ingredients and market it as American-made. The timing is especially tough for U.S. chocolate makers. Cocoa prices have surged due to poor weather and disease in major producing countries like Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Cocoa accounts for 30 to 50 percent of a chocolate bar's total cost. Hershey said in May that it is lobbying the U.S. government for an exemption on cocoa imports. In Mexico, the chocolate association Aschoco Confimex said American companies have shown growing interest in outsourcing production south of the border. "The sentiment… and requests… to manufacture in Mexico is real and has been increasing," said director general Paolo Quadrini. The U.S. chocolate market is worth $25 to 30 billion. Imports from Canada and Mexico now make up roughly 12.5 percent of that total.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
India indicates it will keep buying Russian oil despite Trump's threats
NEW DELHI (AP) — India has indicated that it would continue buying oil from Russia despite threats by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Indian foreign ministry said its relationship with Russia was 'steady and time-tested,' and should not be seen through the prism of a third country. Addressing a weekly presser on Friday, spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said India's broader stance on securing its energy needs was guided by the availability of oil in the markets and prevailing global circumstances. The comments follow an announcement by President Donald Trump that he intends to impose a 25% tariff on goods from India plus an additional import tax because of New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. The threat came as the U.S. president has increasingly soured on Russia for failing to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. India bought 68,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Russia in January 2022, but by June of same year oil imports rose to 1.12 million barrels per day. The daily imports peaked at 2.15 million in May 2023 and have varied since. Supplies rose as high as nearly 40% of India's imports at one point, making Moscow the largest supplier of crude to New Delhi, the Press Trust of India reported, citing data from Kpler, a data analytics company. India's daily oil consumption is pegged around 5.5 million barrels, of which nearly 88% is met through imports. The country has historically bought most of its crude from the Middle East, but this has changed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. India, the world's third-largest crude importer after China and the U.S., began buying Russian oil available at discounted rates after the West shunned it to punish Moscow.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
India indicates it will keep buying Russian oil despite Trump's threats
An oil refinery operated by Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd., in Mumbai. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg NEW DELHI — India has indicated that it would continue buying oil from Russia despite threats by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Indian foreign ministry said its relationship with Russia was 'steady and time-tested,' and should not be seen through the prism of a third country. Addressing a weekly presser on Friday, spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said India's broader stance on securing its energy needs was guided by the availability of oil in the markets and prevailing global circumstances. The comments follow an announcement by President Donald Trump that he intends to impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods from India plus an additional import tax because of New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. The threat came as the U.S. president has increasingly soured on Russia for failing to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made. India bought 68,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Russia in January 2022, but by June of same year oil imports rose to 1.12 million barrels per day. The daily imports peaked at 2.15 million in May 2023 and have varied since. Supplies rose as high as nearly 40 per cent of India's imports at one point, making Moscow the largest supplier of crude to New Delhi, the Press Trust of India reported, citing data from Kpler, a data analytics company. India's daily oil consumption is pegged around 5.5 million barrels, of which nearly 88 per cent is met through imports. The country has historically bought most of its crude from the Middle East, but this has changed since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. India, the world's third-largest crude importer after China and the U.S., began buying Russian oil available at discounted rates after the West shunned it to punish Moscow. The Associated Press
