As of Monday, the United States applies an anti-dumping duty of 17.09% to most tomato imports from Mexico.

This charge comes after terminating the 2019 Agreement that suspended this measure.

The Department of Commerce justified the decision by arguing that U.S. producers have been affected by unfair prices.

In this regard, Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, stated that the parties are still negotiating this matter.

Tomato imports from Mexico

The order affects most imports from Mexico, the main supplier with an 86% share. In 2024, U.S. purchases of Mexican tomatoes totaled 3.234 billion dollars, up 15% annually.

The Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, stated that this decision is in line with President Trump’s policies. For his part, Marcelo Ebrard, head of Economy, warned that there will be “immediate repercussions” in the United States, so he expects the inflationary impact to drive a new negotiation.

In previous similar negotiations, Mexican exporters were charged the quota and then, after an agreement was reached, these charges were refunded.

The quota will apply for the duration of the process. Ebrard recalled that a similar situation occurred in 2019, when after six months another agreement was reached.

Dumping quotas

Since 1996, five suspension agreements have been signed between the two countries. The most recent one required minimum sales prices and reductions in dumping. Its exit clause allowed either party to withdraw with 90 days’ notice, which the U.S. has already executed.

The International Trade Commission is now assessing whether there are “changed circumstances” sufficient to review the measure. Although unlikely, a review could facilitate the end of future anti-dumping duties. Ebrard closed by noting that these negotiations require “cold blood and perseverance”.