Key Takeaways
• A 21% duty on most Mexican tomatoes starts July 14, 2025, ending the Tomato Suspension Agreement.
• U.S. tomato growers in Florida support the tariff, aiming to protect domestic prices and jobs.
• Mexican exporters and U.S. importers face higher costs, likely increasing prices for consumers and restaurants.
Most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽 to the United States 🇺🇸 will soon face a 21% duty, starting July 14, 2025. This move comes after the U.S. Department of Commerce decided to end the Tomato Suspension Agreement of 2019. The change brings important questions for farmers, importers, and export businesses, not just in both countries, but also for anyone interested in how food moves across borders.
Why the Change Now?
This decision follows the return of President Trump to office. The administration’s main reason for reintroducing these tariffs is to stop what it sees as unfair trade practices. U.S. tomato growers, especially those in places like Florida, have long said that they can’t compete against Mexican tomatoes because those are sold at much lower prices in American stores.
Because of this, the Trump administration believes bringing back a 21% duty will help American farmers sell tomatoes at fair prices, making the playing field more even. The hope is that U.S. tomato growers will not be forced out of business by cheaper imports.
What Was the Tomato Suspension Agreement?
The Tomato Suspension Agreement was first set up in 2019. It allowed Mexican growers to sell their tomatoes in the United States without paying extra antidumping duties. “Antidumping duties” means an extra charge, added when goods are sold below fair value and hurt companies in the country that imports them. Under the agreement, as long as Mexican farmers followed certain rules, like not selling tomatoes below a set price, they didn’t have to pay this extra charge.
Ending the Tomato Suspension Agreement means that most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽 will now have to pay this 21% duty, starting in the summer of 2025.
How Big is the Tomato Trade Between the United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽?
The tomato trade is huge. In 2023, Mexico supplied 1.8 million tons of tomatoes to the United States, worth about $2.8 billion. Mexican growers are among the world’s largest exporters of tomatoes. For many American stores and restaurants, Mexican tomatoes are a key part of what you find on the shelf or on your plate.
The United States also grows a lot of tomatoes. Florida is a major player, producing about 56% of all round tomatoes grown domestically. These tomato farmers say that they have been hit hard by all the cheaper tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽. When more tomatoes are imported at lower prices, it becomes tough for U.S. farmers to make a profit.
Who Does This Decision Affect?
- U.S. Tomato Growers: Many American farmers, season after season, have seen prices drop because of the flood of imported tomatoes. A 21% duty could help them get better prices for their crops and keep more U.S. farms in business.
- Mexican Tomato Producers: Mexican farmers and exporters will have to pay the new duty on most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽. This makes their tomatoes more expensive in the U.S. market and could push some growers to look for buyers in other countries.
- U.S. Retailers and Restaurants: Stores and restaurants that buy lots of tomatoes from Mexico 🇲🇽 may have to pay more for them. They might end up raising prices for shoppers and diners.
- Consumers: If stores pay more for tomatoes, you could end up paying more at the store or restaurant. This is especially important for foods like tomatoes, which are used in so many dishes.
A Closer Look at Florida’s Role
Florida’s farming community has been one of the most vocal about stopping what they see as unfair trade. People there grow more than half of all round tomatoes in the United States 🇺🇸. For years, Florida’s tomato market has felt threatened by cheap tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽. Many growers have argued that unless something changes, they cannot keep up and might have to close down. They see the new 21% duty as a win for local agriculture.
What Could Happen Next?
Now that the Tomato Suspension Agreement is ending and the new duty is set, several things might happen:
- Tomato Prices in the U.S. May Rise: Since most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽 will have a 21% duty, the cost to bring them in will go up. This extra cost could be passed on to stores, restaurants, and eventually, consumers.
- U.S. Farmers Could Sell More Tomatoes: With less competition from lower-priced Mexican imports, American tomato farmers, especially in Florida and other states, might be able to sell more tomatoes. This could help save jobs and businesses in rural communities.
- Mexico 🇲🇽 May Look for Other Buyers: Mexican tomato producers might try to send more tomatoes to other countries if selling in the United States 🇺🇸 becomes too expensive.
- Trade Tensions Could Rise: This trade change could increase strain between the United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽. Both countries rely on each other for many goods, not just tomatoes. Changes like these can sometimes lead to discussions about how both sides can keep trading while protecting their own industries.
What Were the Arguments For and Against the Duty?
Those in Favor:
- “Our farmers have faced years of unfair competition. This duty will help them finally compete on fair terms,” Florida growers have said after the decision. They say they were hurt by the low prices of Mexican tomatoes, which made it hard for them to stay in business.
- Some supporters say that the new import duty will lead to better jobs in the United States 🇺🇸 farm sector and help rural communities.
Those Against:
- Some businesses in the U.S., especially food companies that use a lot of tomatoes, worry that they will have to raise their prices. They say that in the end, this could hurt shoppers who are already paying more for groceries.
- Mexican officials and exporters see the new 21% duty as unfair. They say their tomato industry creates many jobs and supports whole communities in Mexico 🇲🇽. Mexico is also a very close neighbor and trade partner of the United States 🇺🇸, and changes like this could hurt friendship and cooperation between the countries.
Looking Back: Tomato Trade and Past Changes
The tomato trade between the United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽 has shifted many times over the years. Before 2019, both countries argued over whether prices were fair and what rules should apply. The 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement was meant to stop these fights. It let Mexican growers sell to the U.S. as long as they agreed not to sell below fixed prices, removing the need for extra duties.
Ending that agreement means a return to a system where extra charges are used to make sure prices are fair. Now, most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽 will need to pay the 21% duty, unless a new deal is worked out.
How Does the Duty System Work?
A “duty” means an extra charge or tax put on a good that comes from another country. In this case, the 21% duty on most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽 is meant to stop unfairly cheap sales. This is called an “antidumping duty”—a very common tool in global trade meant to defend local industries from imports priced below the true cost of production.
Trade law allows countries to use these duties if there’s clear proof that local industries are being hurt. The U.S. Department of Commerce led the review and made this call, looking at both market effects and how local businesses were doing.
Why Is This Important for Immigration and Global Movement of People?
While the story may seem mainly about vegetables and trade, these kinds of decisions also have big effects on immigration patterns. Agriculture is one of the main industries where people move across borders seeking work. When tomato prices fall and farms close, workers in both the United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽 are affected. Jobs may be lost, and some families might decide to move to other areas—or even other countries—in search of better chances.
With the return of the duty and possible higher tomato prices, there could be more farm work in the U.S. if growers expand their planting. This might lead to more jobs for farm workers, including immigrants. Still, if prices go up too much, stores and customers might buy fewer tomatoes, and this could limit job growth.
The bigger point is that trade rules like these don’t only move money and food—they also change people’s lives by affecting where they work and live.
What Is Next for Businesses and Consumers?
For Mexican tomato exporters, making decisions about where to send their tomatoes has now become much harder. They might need to invest in new markets outside of the United States 🇺🇸 or try to reach deals with large buyers willing to pay the new higher prices.
For American buyers—stores, restaurants, and food producers—the cost of importing tomatoes will rise. Some might switch to U.S.-grown tomatoes if they’re cheaper, while others may pass the duty cost on to buyers.
If you’re a shopper or someone who enjoys tomatoes in your meals, you may see prices tick up a little next year when you buy tomatoes or foods made from them. The full effect will depend on whether U.S. farmers can produce enough to meet demand or if they raise their own prices as well.
If you are a business importing tomatoes, you will need to plan for the new duty starting July 14, 2025, and follow all U.S. import rules closely. For the most current rules and official instructions, always check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection import page.
Is There a Way Forward for Both Countries?
Trade disagreements like this are common between neighbors. The United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽 trade large amounts of goods every year, from cars and machinery to food and clothing. Sometimes, both sides decide to make new deals or agreements to ease tension or to set new ground rules.
Both countries could come back to the table and try to agree on new conditions for trading tomatoes. Some experts hope that another suspension agreement or a different long-term solution could be found for tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽.
Putting It in Context:
Analysis from VisaVerge.com suggests that the new 21% duty will be closely watched by other food producers, trade policy experts, and workers in both countries. The tomato trade is part of a big story about how the United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽 work together—and sometimes disagree—on moving important goods across their border.
This move may help many American farmers, especially in Florida, but it also brings new hurdles for Mexican growers and everyone who relies on tomatoes in their daily life or business.
In Summary
- The U.S. Department of Commerce is ending the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement.
- From July 14, 2025, most tomatoes imported from Mexico 🇲🇽 will pay a 21% duty.
- Florida farmers, who grow most of the U.S. round tomatoes, support the decision, hoping for fairer prices.
- Mexican tomato producers will face higher costs selling to the U.S. and may look to new markets.
- U.S. retailers, restaurants, and shoppers may pay more for tomatoes.
- This change could affect jobs in both countries, adding new twists to immigration and farm labor stories.
- Future deals may change these rules again if both countries agree.
If you are involved in importing or buying tomatoes, or just curious about how these rules work, keep checking trusted government pages for updates—and watch how this decision shapes the market, your wallet, and the workers behind the tomatoes you see every day.
Learn Today
Tomato Suspension Agreement → A 2019 pact allowing Mexican tomatoes into the U.S. without extra antidumping duties if price rules were followed.
Antidumping duty → A trade tax on imported goods sold below fair value, meant to protect domestic producers from unfair competition.
Duty → A government-imposed tax on imported goods, increasing their cost to help domestic producers compete with foreign products.
U.S. Department of Commerce → The federal agency responsible for overseeing trade, economic growth, and enforcing import rules in the United States.
Importers → Businesses or individuals who bring foreign goods, like tomatoes, into a country for sale or use.
This Article in a Nutshell
Starting July 14, 2025, most tomatoes imported from Mexico to the United States will face a 21% duty, ending the Tomato Suspension Agreement. This change aims to protect American farmers but will likely impact Mexican growers, U.S. businesses, prices for shoppers, and may reshape cross-border agricultural trade dynamics.
— By VisaVerge.com
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