The Trump administration is calling the Department of Commerce’s ending of the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement a “decisive move to protect American agriculture and restore fairness.”
In a news release, the administration shared a roundup of comments from those positively impacted by the agreement’s termination, including Chad Smith of Smith Tomato Farm in Steele, Ala.
“It’s only been two days now, and we actually have a lot more calls of people having interest in doing business — and the price hasn’t even changed,” Smith told WVTM.
Meanwhile, Rodolfo Spielmann, president and CEO of NatureSweet, warned in its own news release that the termination will threaten the fresh tomato supply and cause higher prices in the produce aisle.
“We operate in a thin-margin industry in which our model is unique, and most growers and distributors are separate,” Spielmann says. “Many smaller growers might not have this flexibility, and this new burden will push some to the brink.”
Spielmann and NatureSweet encourage stakeholders to return to the negotiating table to draw up a new agreement to preserve consumer access to safe, high-quality and affordable tomatoes.
“Our tomatoes are grown year-round in greenhouses and ripened naturally on the vine—unlike many field-grown Florida tomatoes, which are picked green and artificially ripened with gas,” says Skip Hulett, chief legal officer of NatureSweet. “Let’s not turn a trade dispute into a food crisis. Let’s fix this—before the damage becomes permanent.”
