Brazil is scrambling to avert punishing 50% U.S. tariffs in a week's time, but high level talks are stalled and U.S. companies are reluctant to confront U.S. President Donald Trump over the issue, officials and industry leaders say.

Brazil’s inflation edged up in early July as US President Donald Trump threatened to slap the South American nation with punishing tariffs, further complicating the consumer price outlook for the central bank.

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to impose a new 50% tariff on all Brazilian products from Aug. 1 could devastate the South American nation's citrus belt, as factories scale back production and orange farmers consider leaving fruit to rot amid a sharp drop in prices.