In a major victory for Florida tomato growers, the U.S. Commerce Department has that it's withdrawing from a 2019 agreement that had suspended an antidumping investigation into fresh tomato imports from Mexico.
That termination, set to take effect July 14, means most tomatoes from Mexico will be subject to a 20.91% tariff.
鈥淭his action will allow U.S. tomato growers to compete fairly in the marketplace,鈥� said the Commerce Department in a statement issued Monday.
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鈥淭his is a major victory for American agriculture,鈥� Robert Guenther, Executive Vice President of the , said in a statement. 鈥淔or decades, American tomato farmers have suffered from unfair trade practices by Mexican tomato exporters.鈥�
鈥淭erminating this agreement and enforcing U.S. trade laws is the only way to finally give domestic growers the relief they鈥檝e long deserved,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e thank the [Trump] Administration for standing strong in support of American famers and the rule of law against unfair foreign trade practices.鈥�
Skyrocketing tomato imports from Mexico
The group reported that Mexican tomato imports to the U.S. skyrocketed nearly 400%, from more than 800 million pounds in 1994 to about 4 billion pounds in 2022.
The Florida Tomato Exchange, which represents tomato growers statewide, said its industry has been decimated by 鈥渁n influx of cheap Mexican tomatoes鈥� since 1994 鈥� the year the then North American Free Trade Agreement was signed by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. They said hundreds of growers were forced to close down, killing half the industry since NAFTA went into effect.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, said he has argued for years that the U.S.-Mexico agreement 鈥渇ailed to protect American producers from unfair foreign trade practices.鈥�
鈥淸The] decision from President Trump鈥檚 administration is a major win for Florida farmers and growers across the country as they have suffered for years while the federal government allowed our markets to be flooded with artificially cheap tomatoes from Mexican producers grown with child and forced , making it impossible for local producers to compete,鈥� said .
U.S. Rep. Mario D铆az-Balart, R-Miami, said the move withdraw from the 2019 agreement was long overdue.
鈥淔or too long, Florida farmers have been hurt by one-sided foreign trade deals like the Tomato Suspension Agreement, which flooded U.S. markets with Mexican tomatoes and put American tomato growers at a significant disadvantage,鈥� he said in a .
鈥淭his is a big win for Florida farmers,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is another example of President Trump鈥檚 America First trade policies in action, and I thank him and his Administration for standing with our farmers and promoting fair trade policies.鈥�
