As the United States has just announced an increase in tariffs on certain products imported from the European Union, CODERUM President Jérôme Froget is sounding the alarm. Rums from the French overseas departments, including those from Martinique, could face tariff increases of up to 10 %, jeopardizing their competitiveness in an already strained market. In an official statement, the Martinique Rum Producers’ Association is calling for a firm response from public authorities and the implementation of support measures to protect a sector that is strategic in terms of the economy, cultural heritage, and tourism.
The news came as a crushing blow to Martinique’s rum producers: the United States, the world’s largest market for spirits, has decided to raise tariffs on several products imported from Europe. Overseas rums are particularly targeted, with increases of up to 10 %, according to a press release issued on April 4, 2025, by CODERUM President Jérôme Froget.
This decision could have particularly serious consequences for producers in Martinique, who are already struggling to remain competitive on the international market.
«Our rums are already positioned in a higher price segment than those of our American competitors, who also benefit from extremely favorable tax rates,»,
recalls Jérôme Froget. In 2021, nearly $700 million in rum taxes were returned to U.S. producers, strengthening their dominance in the domestic market.
CODERUM points out that the French market—the main outlet for Martinique rums—returned in 2024 to its 2016 level. Against this backdrop of stagnation, exports to growth markets such as the United States are a key driver of growth for the sector. The increase in customs duties seriously jeopardizes this strategy.
But the impacts are not limited to the commercial sphere alone. The union warns of a collateral consequence: the erosion of «rum tourism,» a form of tourism that highlights the craftsmanship and cultural heritage associated with rum. A decline in American consumers’ purchasing power could lead to a drop in their visits to Martinique, affecting distilleries, rum museums, and the entire local tourism ecosystem.
In light of this threat, CODERUM is calling on public authorities to take swift action. It calls, on the one hand, for France and the European Union to demand reciprocal terms in trade agreements, particularly with regard to tax and regulatory matters; and, on the other hand, for increased support for spirits tourism and its international development.
«Our presence on the international stage is a crucial element of our development, both for our products and for the appeal of our regions as tourist destinations,»,
the CODERUM President emphasizes.
He advocates for a «fair and balanced» trade framework, without which the long-term viability of the rum industry—the flagship of Martinique’s identity and economy—would be seriously threatened.
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