The 25 percent tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada have been paused until early March, but that still leaves many questions for the produce industry on how to conduct business in the meantime.
Uncertainty is generally bad for business and conflicts with President Trump’s pledge to be a better president than his predecessor for businesses.
The International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 held a webinar for members February 7, which was closed to the public, but IFPA vice president of U.S. government relations, Rebeckah Adcock, spoke with Blue Book February 10, to update the tariff situation.
Rebeckah Adcock
She said IFPA has open lines of communication with the USDA and White House, and she’s hopeful that if nominee Brooke Rollins is confirmed soon as Secretary of Agriculture, the USDA can advocate for ag generally, and produce specifically, in relation to the tariffs.
“We don’t know how wide and broad the tariffs might be,” Adcock said. “[We hope] there could be some exceptions or exemptions, and everyone in the produce industry will want to talk to the USDA about being an exception.”
She said the industry has to be respectful of larger issues, such as border security and drug trafficking, which the tariffs are intended to address.
But there’s no doubt that 25 percent tariffs on fresh fruits and vegetables coming from Canada and Mexico would be noticed by consumers.
“We believe a blanket tariff would lead to increases in prices for produce in North America,” Adcock said. “It just limits supply, even on products we produce domestically.”
She said Trump has told media outlets that consumers may have to feel some pain in the process, “but I don’t think he’ll turn a deaf ear to consumers seeing increased prices in grocery stores.”
Adcock said IFPA encourages members to share their experiences on how these tariffs would affect their businesses. She also acknowledged that since the industry is so broad, there are various viewpoints on whether the tariffs could benefit some areas of the produce industry, such as domestic producers.
“Prolonged tariffs are generally seen as not good long term,” she said, so she’s optimistic they can lead to negotiations that limit or eliminate them.
Part of the broader economic strategy for the tariffs is to boost domestic production of all goods, including food, and Adcock said deregulation would be a huge help in keeping American food producers competitive with imports.
The 25 percent tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada have been paused until early March, but that still leaves many questions for the produce industry on how to conduct business in the meantime.
Uncertainty is generally bad for business and conflicts with President Trump’s pledge to be a better president than his predecessor for businesses.
The International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 held a webinar for members February 7, which was closed to the public, but IFPA vice president of U.S. government relations, Rebeckah Adcock, spoke with Blue Book February 10, to update the tariff situation.
Rebeckah Adcock
She said IFPA has open lines of communication with the USDA and White House, and she’s hopeful that if nominee Brooke Rollins is confirmed soon as Secretary of Agriculture, the USDA can advocate for ag generally, and produce specifically, in relation to the tariffs.
“We don’t know how wide and broad the tariffs might be,” Adcock said. “[We hope] there could be some exceptions or exemptions, and everyone in the produce industry will want to talk to the USDA about being an exception.”
She said the industry has to be respectful of larger issues, such as border security and drug trafficking, which the tariffs are intended to address.
But there’s no doubt that 25 percent tariffs on fresh fruits and vegetables coming from Canada and Mexico would be noticed by consumers.
“We believe a blanket tariff would lead to increases in prices for produce in North America,” Adcock said. “It just limits supply, even on products we produce domestically.”
She said Trump has told media outlets that consumers may have to feel some pain in the process, “but I don’t think he’ll turn a deaf ear to consumers seeing increased prices in grocery stores.”
Adcock said IFPA encourages members to share their experiences on how these tariffs would affect their businesses. She also acknowledged that since the industry is so broad, there are various viewpoints on whether the tariffs could benefit some areas of the produce industry, such as domestic producers.
“Prolonged tariffs are generally seen as not good long term,” she said, so she’s optimistic they can lead to negotiations that limit or eliminate them.
Part of the broader economic strategy for the tariffs is to boost domestic production of all goods, including food, and Adcock said deregulation would be a huge help in keeping American food producers competitive with imports.
Greg Johnson is Vice President of Media for Blue Book Services
