PRESS RELEASE We appreciate the Mexican growers’ willingness to continue negotiating. We are surprised, however, that the new Mexican proposal is a step backwards.
It withdraws proposals they had made to the Commerce Department in early May. We do not understand why the Mexican growers continue to reject the good faith efforts of the Commerce Department to negotiate a new suspension agreement. We think the Commerce Department’s May 10 proposal is the basis for an agreement that will prevent unfair Mexican trade practices from injuring American tomato producers while continuing to allow Mexican tomato growers to access the U.S. market.
Any new agreement must address the flaws of the old agreement. The latest Commerce Department proposal would be an improved agreement for both sides. The domestic industry simply will not support any proposal that does not stop the injury to American growers by dumped Mexican tomatoes.
Media Contact:
Michael Schadler
Executive Vice President
Florida Tomato Exchange
michael@floridatomatoes.org
About the Florida Tomato Exchange: The member companies of the Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) produce over 90% of the tomatoes grown in Florida and are among the largest producers of tomatoes in California, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico. Our member companies produce approximately 50% of the fresh-market tomatoes grown in the U.S. The FTE is the domestic petitioner in the antidumping case against fresh tomatoes from Mexico.
