Who’s to blame for Florida's market decline? FPAA reacts to petition from lawmakers

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas rebuffs a recent bipartisan petition for an investigation into possible restrictions on agricultural exports from Mexico, saying the request is “all politics and ignores the facts.”

The petition, led by Sens. Marco Rubio and Al Lawson of Florida and signed by 24 lawmakers, was released last week by Rubio’s office, according to a news release. The petition calls for U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai to protect Florida growers from unfair trade practices by Mexico and requests an investigation into possible new import restrictions to Mexican agricultural products, under Section 301 of U.S. trade law.

In short, the letter claims Florida’s market share continues to decline because of predatory Mexican trade policies, weakening Florida’s agricultural industry over the course of 20 years.

“The Biden administration has affirmed its intention to protect and reinvigorate critical supply chains within the U.S., including agricultural supply chains. Mexico’s export targeting scheme, which is affecting U.S.-grown produce during the winter and spring months, is a direct threat to this objective,” signatories said, according to the release. 

The lawmakers go on to claim that Mexican import strategy has successfully waged a “scheme to displace Florida’s seasonal and perishable agricultural industry from the U.S. market” and represents “an unreasonable trade practice that constitutes export targeting, threatens Florida’s seasonal and perishable agricultural industry, [and] endangers the long-term food security of the U.S.,” according to the release.

Replying to these accusations, the FPAA cites midterm elections as the likely motive for the petition and goes on further, saying lawmakers seek to “foment political discord, undermine the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and negatively impact consumers,” according to the press release.

Furthermore, the FPAA contends that the cause of Florida’s agricultural market share loss is not a result of unfair trade practices by Mexico but, instead, a result of slowed technical advances in the Sunshine State, including the failed widespread adoption of produce grown inside season-extending protective structures such as greenhouses, due to humidity and extreme weather events.  

“A real reason Florida’s producers continue to lose market share is because they fail to innovate in new varieties and growing technologies, and consumers have spoken at the supermarket,” Lance Jungmeyer, president of the FPAA, said in the release. "Florida and U.S. companies importing from Mexico have competed for generations during the winter and spring months, and that is not going to change. You can count on that. You can also count on the fact that every election cycle, Florida politicians will dredge up the same tired complaints, which ignore the market dynamics.”

According to the FPAA, Mexico represents 39% of all imported fruits and vegetables consumed in North America annually.