In response to the U.S. Department of Commerce ‘s announcement that it will impose 20.91% tariffs on Mexican tomato imports, Julio Berdegué , head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) , indicated that the Mexican government will seek dialogue with U.S. authorities to prevent this measure.
“We’re going to start talking, we’re going to start a dialogue, as the president (Claudia Sheinbaum) has always said. We’re seeking dialogue, and we’ll see how this ends,” he explained.
At Tuesday’s morning press conference, the federal official noted that there are two active cases in the country against chicken and pork leg from the United States.
“Mexico has two long-standing active investigations: one against U.S. chicken; that measure is pending and ready to be implemented; and another against pork leg,” he emphasized.
He explained that the northern neighbor’s measure stems from a decades-long conflict with producers in Florida and other states who accuse Mexicans of dumping practices by offering tomatoes at a lower price.
“For decades, Florida growers have accused us, in our opinion, without reason, that Mexican growers sell their tomatoes in the United States below cost, which is not true,” he added.
He clarified that the tariff announced the day before has no relation to the reciprocal tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump , which are currently paused for 90 days.
” Ninety percent of the tomatoes the United States imports from around the world come from Mexico, and six out of every 10 tomatoes consumed in the United States are Mexican, so the cost of salads and ketchup will increase,” the federal official said.
According to the Mexican Government ‘s Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP) , in 2024 alone, tomato exports totaled 1.8 million tons , 98% of which were sent to the United States.
“They can’t replace us, because there aren’t many other countries that produce this quantity of excellent tomatoes at a reasonable price,” the Secretary of Agriculture pointed out.
The new measure will affect Mexican tomato producers and U.S. consumers, according to the Agricultural Market Consulting Group (GCMA) , as this decision “distorts” agricultural trade between the two countries. Furthermore, Mexican producers stand out in this market due to their high competitiveness in terms of logistics, costs, and quality.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the tariff on Mexican tomatoes the day before, which will go into effect on July 14 if authorities from both countries fail to reach an agreement.
If so, the new measure would be added to a series of tariffs already applied by the United States to Mexico, such as those on steel and aluminum imports, as well as the 25% tax on vehicles manufactured in the country.
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