SAO PAULO, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer and exporter, saw its soluble coffee exports to the United States plunge nearly 60 percent in August year-on-year, following the 50 percent trade tariffs imposed by Washington, the country's local coffee industry group said on Monday.

Shipments to the American market totaled 26,460 60-kg bags of coffee in August, down 59.9 percent from the same month in 2024 and 50.1 percent from July, the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Soluble Coffee (ABICS) said.

"The 50 percent tariff makes trade with the Americans unviable. We need to open channels of negotiation that restore a fair flow in the coffee ties between Brazil and the United States," said ABICS Executive Director Aguinaldo Lima.

The United States remains Brazil's main buyer of instant coffee, having purchased 443,179 bags in the first eight months of this year, followed by Argentina and Russia.

From January to August, Brazil sold a total of 2.5 million bags of instant coffee to 88 countries, a 3.9 percent decline from the same period in 2024. However, due to fluctuating coffee prices and exchange rates, Brazil's revenue rose 33 percent, reaching 760.8 million U.S. dollars.

In the domestic market, consumption continues to expand: between January and August, Brazilians consumed 763,645 bags of instant coffee, up 4.7 percent year-on-year, driven by greater product availability and ease of preparation. ■