Germán José Gándara Fernández, president of the Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture (AMHPAC), expressed in a recent interview his concern about the imposition of a 20.91% tariff on Mexican tomatoes by the United States starting July 14. According to him, this measure would have a devastating impact on the national industry, which generates 500,000 direct jobs and one million indirect jobs in Mexico.
The president of AMHPAC emphasized that the tomato industry in Mexico has complied with all inspections and audits from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Gándara Fernández pointed out that trying to reverse the trade agreement, signed in 2019 but with three decades of history, to favor a small group of producers in Florida influenced by Donald Trump, would be detrimental to the entire Mexican industry.
Regarding the announcement to impose the tariff in 90 days, the president of AMHPAC mentioned that it has sparked rejection from both producers and other sectors related to the production chain in the United States. He stated that Mexican tomatoes represent $2.7 billion annually in exports and generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs in both Mexico and the United States.
Gándara Fernández thanked the support of the Mexican government, including President Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as the Ministries of Economy and Agriculture, for opposing the imposition of the tariff. He expressed his commitment to reaching a new agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, emphasizing that the Mexican tomato industry has successfully passed all audits conducted by U.S. authorities.
The president of AMHPAC stressed that Mexican producers have invested in technology and modernization of infrastructure to improve their agricultural practices. Given the impossibility of rapidly shifting to other markets, Gándara Fernández warned that the proposed tariff could cause irreversible damage to the Mexican tomato industry, which largely supplies the U.S. market year-round.
