Us Tariffs

The US reclassified Honduras to a lower 10% tariff rate instead of 12.5% and granted product exemptions, recognizing a Honduran executive decree banning imports of goods made with forced labor.

The Trump administration announced it will keep a 10% tariff on goods from Honduras and 59 other countries, citing insufficient efforts to prevent forced labor in their exports.

Cohep President Anabel Gallardo said Honduras escaped an additional 2.5% tariff hike from the United States but warned that some sectors still face 10% duties and need continued trade negotiations to improve conditions.

Union leader Evangelina Argueta warned that potential US tariffs on Honduran textile exports could raise production costs and threaten thousands of jobs in an industry already reeling from 60,000 layoffs, and called for urgent tripartite talks between government, workers, and employers.

The Trump administration announced new tariffs of 10–12.5% on imports from 60 countries, citing insufficient efforts against forced labor; Honduras faces a 10% additional tariff alongside Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Presidential trade commissioner Melvin Redondo said Honduras has complied with legal requirements in a US tariff review affecting 17–20% of exports and has passed a decree banning imports from forced-labor conditions to avoid a potential 12.5% increase.

The head of Honduras's apparel manufacturers association is calling on the government to negotiate zero tariffs with the United States for agricultural goods and auto parts, matching Mexico's treatment, to boost competitiveness as the Trump administration considers new trade measures.

The government and private-sector leaders, including Cohep president Anabel Gallardo, have lobbied US officials to prevent tariff increases, warning that higher duties on maquila and coffee exports would cost jobs and drive migration.

The United States will impose tariffs of at least 2.5% on about 60 countries, including Honduras, citing forced labor and child labor in supply chains; the measure threatens Honduran exports of coffee, melons, and lobster, which face existing duties ranging from 10% to 25%.

A 10% US tariff on Honduran imports expires July 24, and while an economist says he hopes the United States will lift the duties to strengthen trade relations, he warns that the Trump administration may pursue new protectionist measures that could raise consumer prices.

A diplomat and analyst says President Nasry Asfura must rebuild Honduras's relationship with the United States and find common ground on trade to negotiate relief from a 10% tariff the US is imposing on Central American exports.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortés warned that international companies have suspended investment plans in Honduras pending the outcome of U.S. tariff negotiations, citing concern that a 10% tariff and potential further restrictions could push capital to competing Central American countries and hurt the manufacturing and job sectors.

Honduras's government is lobbying to be excluded from new US tariffs threatening 12% duties on key exports, arguing the country meets US labor and human-rights standards and that about 600,000 jobs depend on market access.

Honduras's private-sector council president said a 10% U.S. tariff on Honduran goods raises export costs, undercuts competitiveness, and discourages foreign investment—including from European firms—and is pushing the government to negotiate tariff reduction or elimination.

Economic Development Minister Eddy Ordóñez said Honduras hopes the United States will hold tariffs steady or reduce them when current rates expire on July 24, and noted the government has removed non-tariff barriers and approved a forced-labor ban to support bilateral negotiations.