Following the announcement of the imposition of a 17.09% tariff on Mexican tomato exports by the United States, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that next week she will announce a series of measures within the framework of Plan Mexico to support the country’s tomato sector, although she did not provide details of the actions that would be carried out.
“We’re going to offer different options to tomato producers in our country and continue fighting in the United States. If an agreement isn’t reached by August 1, we’ll be announcing other actions,” he emphasized during Tuesday’s morning press conference.
Despite the measure announced the day before by the United States regarding Mexican tomatoes, he assured that bilateral working groups will continue until August 1 , with the goal of reaching a tariff agreement that benefits both countries.
Sheinbaum rejected the reactivation of the 17.09% compensatory quota on Mexican tomato imports after the U.S. Department of Commerce withdrew from the Antidumping Investigation Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico .
He recalled that such measures had already been attempted in 2019, but were reversed after four months of negotiations.
For the Mexican government, this is a “political decision” that will affect American consumers. Sheinbaum also considered Florida producers to be the ones behind the measure.
“The largest production there is in Florida, and it’s primarily those producers who have been seeking to impose tariffs on Mexican tomatoes,” he explained.
Despite this, he assured that Mexican tomatoes will continue to be exported to the United States “even with the tariff, because there is no substitute.” He indicated that Julio Berdegué, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) , will meet today with U.S. authorities to discuss the issue.
According to the General Directorate of the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (DGSIAP) , of Sader, in 2024 tomato exports totaled 1.88 million tons, for a value of two billion 370 million dollars (mdd) , of which 98% were sent to the northern neighbor, that is, 1.87 million tons.
In response to this decision, the National Agricultural Council (CNA) considered that the United States’ decision represents a setback in North American integration and jeopardizes the region’s food security. It therefore called for dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.
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