A University of Georgia study has determined that the state’s berry and vegetable growers will suffer if the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is ratified without changes.
Greenhouse grower NatureSweet is asking the Commerce Department for some exemptions on duties for its imported tomatoes grown in Mexico, on the basis they did not exist when those duties were originally set.
With new duties on Mexican tomatoes entering the U.S., industry groups said negotiations between the Department of Commerce and Mexico’s tomato industry must continue.
The Department of Commerce will follow through on its plan to withdraw from an agreement with Mexican tomato growers, triggering a 17.56% duty on tomatoes from Mexico, according to a Mexican official.
The Department of Commerce has terminated the 2013 Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico, setting a 17.56% duty on Mexican tomatoes arriving in the U.S.
The possibility persists for a new tomato suspension agreement between the Commerce Department and Mexican growers, but hopes for a quick resolution have been doused.
Mexican tomato growers proposed a new tomato suspension agreement to the Commerce Department on May 22, but Florida tomato growers gave it an icy reception.
