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Mexico has introduced minimum export prices for fresh tomatoes to protect its domestic supply following the expiration of a 2019 trade agreement with the United States.
The U.S. government withdrew last month from the 2019 trade deal, which had suspended an antidumping investigation into Mexican tomato imports.
In a joint statement on Aug. 10, Mexico’s Ministries of Economy and Agriculture said the minimum export prices aim to protect domestic production, prevent distortions in the international market, and ensure internal supply.
Mexico has established minimum per kilogram export prices of $1.70 for cherry and grape tomatoes, $0.95 for round tomatoes, $1.65 for round tomatoes with stems, and $0.88 for roma tomatoes.
The minimum export price for other varieties, including Campari, Kumato, mini Roma, heirloom, and Pera tomatoes, was set at $1.70.
The prices took effect immediately and will be reviewed annually, or earlier if market conditions warrant, according to the statement.
The move, the ministries said, reinforces the government’s commitment to protect “agricultural competitiveness, decent rural employment, and the country’s food sovereignty.”
The ministries noted that the trade deal only applies to definitive exports and is not intended to restrict volumes or set maximum prices, but rather to maintain order in the sector’s foreign trade.
US Farmers Report Dumping
The U.S. Commerce Department said on July 14 that it was issuing an antidumping duty order to measure the degree by which Mexican tomatoes have been sold in the United States at unfairly low prices.
It stated that the trade agreement had “failed to protect U.S. tomato growers from unfairly priced Mexican imports,” noting it had received comments from U.S. tomato growers calling for an end to the deal.
Washington also announced that it was implementing a 17 percent tariff on most imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico.
U.S. President Donald Trump subsequently announced a 90-day delay in U.S. tariff hikes on Mexican goods on July 31 to allow time for negotiations to address bilateral trade issues. However, he said Mexico would still face an across-the-board 50 percent levy on aluminum, copper, and steel, as well as a 25 percent tariff on automobiles.
About 93 percent of the United States’ fresh tomato imports come from Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which projected that Mexico’s tomato exports will decline by 5 percent this year as a result of the U.S. antidumping duties.
Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has said that his government will work toward finding a solution to suspend the tariff as part of the ongoing trade negotiations with the United States.
Trump has threatened to increase the blanket tariff rate on Mexican goods entering the United States to 30 percent from the current level of 25 percent.
According to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, the U.S. goods deficit with Mexico stood at $171.5 billion in 2024, a 14.9 percent increase from the previous year, and more than 80 percent of Mexico’s total goods exports went to the United States last year.
