The FPAA's response to the intention to terminate the Tomato Suspension Agreement
The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA ) has said the U.S. Department of Commerce's plan to terminate the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement on July 14, 2025, will lead to consumers paying more for vine-ripened, specialty, and Roma tomatoes.
The organization urges the Administration to negotiate a new tomato agreement "that supports the innovations of U.S. importers, continues to fill the demands of U.S. consumers, and that helps domestic growers improve their ability to compete, via research, innovation, and improved varieties rather than through duties on their U.S. competitors in Arizona, California, Texas, and elsewhere."
The U.S. Department announced its plan to terminate the 2019 U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement on April 14 in response to a 2023 petition from the U.S. tomato industry backed by more than 60 bipartisan Members of Congress, the American Farm Bureau Federation, state Farm Bureaus from all nine major tomato-producing states, and fruit and vegetable trade associations across the country.
The Florida Tomato Exchange applauded the decision, saying the move is a major victory for American Agriculture and the American tomato industry, which Robert Guenther, Executive Vice President of the Florida Tomato Exchange, said "has suffered from unfair trade practices by Mexican tomato exporters."
On the other hand, the FPAA says that if duties of 20.91% go into place on July 14 on U.S. importers of Mexican tomatoes, the U.S. companies behind the petition might be unable to supply consumers with vine-ripened tomatoes at an affordable price.
"The domestic growers who petitioned Commerce for duties have failed to innovate, growing what in the industry are called “gas green tomatoes,” or round tomatoes that are picked green and then induced to turn a pale red after being placed in gas rooms and exposed to ethylene gas," the statement from the organization said. "This kind of tomato has lost market share as consumers and restaurants have shifted to tomato varieties that naturally ripen on the plant, just like in nature, with a natural deep red color and superior flavor, such as those provided by FPAA members."
The decision is unrealistic since "several of the largest Florida tomato farmers also have significant tomato farms in Mexico to meet vine-ripe tomato demand."
