Florida Tomato Growers Seek to Renogiate Mexican Tomato Trade

Tomato leaders in Florida are asking for a new approach to the U.S.-Mexico tomato trade. The Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) says negotiated minimum price agreements between Mexican growers and the U.S. Department of Commerce have failed to protect tomato growers for more than 25 years.

The group is asking for the 2019 Suspension Agreement to be terminated and antidumping duties placed on Mexican tomatoes, as antidumping law requires. However, Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, says the allegations are “timeworn and tired.” Even so, FTE says U.S. tomato growers will continue to be driven out of business if the current suspension agreement continues.

Read more on the tomato trade conflict here.