The tomato industry in the United States generates annual revenues of around $6 billion.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the tomato industry produces about 16 million tons per year. California dominates processing. Meanwhile, Florida and California account for two-thirds of fresh tomatoes. In addition, almost 70% of consumption depends on Mexican imports.
The tomato industry in the United States
During the 50th National Convention of the National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (Index), held in Mexico City, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexico‘s ambassador to the United States, highlighted this industry as an example of the value of bilateral relations.
“At this time, I believe it is very important to raise awareness of the importance of participating and publicizing all the benefits of this economic relationship, which has made North America the most competitive region in the world to date,” said the diplomat.
The USDA estimates that tomato production in Mexico will reach 3.1 million metric tons in 2025. This figure represents a 3% drop compared to 2024. The reduction is mainly due to water shortages and temperature variations affecting northern areas, especially Sinaloa, the country’s main producing state.
The speech
Moctezuma Barragán stated that the narrative of Mexico’s importance to the United States is fundamental.
“We must continue to make the United States aware of what Mexico means in their daily lives, not in macro terms, not in issues dealt with by those who are interested or scholars, but in terms of the people,” he said.
Why? “I’ll give you the example of tomatoes. You all know that for reasons of alleged dumping, there is a 17% tariff on tomatoes. This will obviously affect the price of tomatoes in the United States. We are talking about Mexico exporting around $3 billion worth of tomatoes. But the United States transforms this into an industry with revenues of more than $6 billion,” he added.
Moctezuma Barragán concluded that this not only affects Mexican producers, but also U.S. producers and consumers. Now that winter is coming and tomatoes can no longer be imported from the United States or Canada, the only tomatoes that will be able to enter the country are Mexican tomatoes. “That’s when you see the importance of this cooperation for the daily life of every family,” he said.