Colombia drafts 50% tariffs

Colombia has drafted a decree to raise tariffs on many imports from Ecuador to 50%, but the measure still had to clear the government’s rulemaking process when it was published in early March. (mincit.gov.co) Colombia’s Trade Ministry posted the draft on March 5, 2026 as a change to Decree 170 of 2026, which had already imposed reciprocal tariffs of 30% on Ecuadorian goods. The ministry’s justification says Ecuador had raised its tariff on Colombian products from 30% to 50% effective March 1, 2026. (mincit.gov.co) The Colombian filing says the 50% rate would apply to a “specific set” of Ecuadorian products chosen on technical, economic and national security grounds. The ministry said the targeted imports are concentrated in fish products, agricultural goods such as palm oil and rice, and also include chemicals, plastics and metal manufactures. (mincit.gov.co; mincit.gov.co) This fight started in January, when Ecuador announced what Colombia described as a 30% “security fee” on imports from Colombia. Bogotá answered with Decree 170 on February 24, arguing Ecuador’s move violated the Andean Community’s tariff-free trade rules. (mincit.gov.co; mincit.gov.co) The dispute is not only about customs duties. Colombia’s draft decree cites Ecuador’s December 24, 2025 decision to limit the land border to the Rumichaca crossing and a January 1, 2026 note that allowed the San Miguel crossing only for Colombian crude oil transport to Lago Agrio. (mincit.gov.co) Ecuador has tied its measures to border security and customs control. Its customs service published guidance on Resolution SENAE-SENAE-2026-0017-RE, which set a customs service charge on goods entering from Colombia, and Reuters reported on April 9 that Quito later raised tariffs again, from 50% to 100%. (aduana.gob.ec; usnews.com) Colombia has framed its response as reciprocity, not a first strike. Bloomberg reported on March 2 that the draft covered around 300 goods from Ecuador, and Colombia’s ministry later said the affected imports had totaled 683,825.8 metric tons between January 2023 and October 2025. (bloomberg.com; mincit.gov.co) The standoff kept escalating after the draft appeared. On April 10, Colombia said it would move to 100% tariffs on imports from Ecuador after Ecuador announced its own 100% rate a day earlier, showing how quickly a draft retaliatory measure turned into a broader trade war. (mincit.gov.co; wtvbam.com)