Quito, August 3 – Ecuador’s Minister of Production and Foreign Trade, Luis Alberto Jaramillo, announced on the 3rd that the Ecuadorian government will formally request the United States to include export products such as shrimp, canned tuna, and broccoli in the exemption list for the 10% additional tariff.
The United States has previously confirmed the imposition of a 10% additional tariff on Ecuadorian products. The measure stems from a U.S. investigation into forced labor in imported products. On July 24, the U.S. officially imposed new tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on 60 trading partners. Ecuador was classified under the 10% tariff bracket. It is worth noting that Ecuador’s flower products have already received an exemption, but agricultural products such as shrimp, tuna, and broccoli still face tariff barriers.
This tariff measure has significant implications for international trade. First, in terms of Ecuador’s export competitiveness, Ecuador’s non-oil and non-mining exports to the U.S. reached $6.022 billion in 2025, up 31% year-on-year. In March of this year, Ecuador signed a Reciprocal Trade Agreement with the U.S., which eliminated tariffs on 53% of Ecuador’s non-oil exports. However, the newly imposed Section 301 tariffs have to some extent offset the trade facilitation effects of that agreement. Shrimp, tuna, and broccoli are precisely key export categories for Ecuador to the U.S. market, and the 10% additional tariff will weaken their price competitiveness in the U.S. market.
Second, in terms of U.S. trade policy direction, the new Section 301 tariffs replace the 10% global temporary import tariff that expired on July 24, marking a shift in U.S. trade policy from temporary measures to institutional arrangements. Ecuador’s Ministry of Production candidly acknowledged that the likelihood of obtaining substantive tariff adjustments is slim, and this trade measure may be maintained for the long term.
Third, from the perspective of the global trade environment, this U.S. tariff measure covers 60 economies and will have a systemic impact on global trade flows. Against this backdrop, small and medium-sized economies like Ecuador are accelerating the signing of trade agreements with other countries to hedge against the negative impact of U.S. tariffs.
On the diplomatic front, Ecuador is also actively advancing trade agreements with other countries. The Strategic Economic Cooperation Agreement (SECA) with South Korea has completed Ecuador’s domestic approval procedures and is awaiting approval by the Korean National Assembly, with exports expected to increase by $367 million over the next three years. The trade agreement with Canada was signed on July 24. In addition, Ecuador recently established an Economic and Trade Committee with Japan to promote future free trade agreement negotiations. This series of diversified trade arrangements represents Ecuador’s strategic choice to respond to U.S. trade barriers and reduce dependence on a single market.