The United States will implement a 17% customs duty on imported Mexican tomatoes, following the cancellation of a previous free trade agreement concerning this product. This decision, announced on monday, comes after a 90-day waiting period.
Initially, the U.S. government had proposed a 21% tariff, but this was ultimately reduced to 17%. Mexico has strongly criticized thes additional duties,labeling them as “unfair.”
In a joint statement,the Mexican Ministries of Agriculture and Economy asserted that these tariffs are detrimental to both Mexican producers and the American agricultural sector. They highlighted that since Mexico supplies two out of every three tomatoes consumed in the U.S., the measure will inevitably impact American consumers through higher prices, as Mexican tomatoes cannot be easily replaced.
The U.S. Department of Commerce cited unfair competition practices by Mexican tomato producers as the reason for imposing the additional duties, stating they are intended to offset these practices. U.S. Trade Minister Howard Lutnik commented, “Mexico remains one of our main allies, but our farms have long been suffering from unfair commercial practices that artificially reduce the prices of products such as tomatoes.”
Prior to this declaration, Mexican President Claudia sheinbaum indicated that efforts were underway to mitigate the impact of the tariffs. She noted the difficulty in halting tomato exports to the U.S. due to insufficient domestic production to meet demand.
In April, Mexico’s Minister of Agriculture, Julio Berdeguรฉ, stated that 90% of U.S. tomato imports originate from Mexico. he anticipated that the U.S. tariffs woudl lead to notable price increases for mexican tomato exports in the United States.
Mexico, a primary trading partner for the United States, has been a focal point of trade disputes initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump since his return to the White House on January 20.
