BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil plans to end automatic import licensing for about 10 perishable products including apples, raisins, wheat flour, potatoes and some cheeses and wines in retaliation against rising trade barriers in Argentina, a senior Brazilian government official told Reuters yesterday.
While the licensing change applies to all countries, neighbouring Argentina is a major source of the targeted imports, the official said. The move could delay approval for imports by up to 60 days.
Average Brazilian daily exports to Argentina, Brazil’s main partner in the Mercosur trade block, fell 27 per cent in April compared with a year earlier.
