FTE: Ending tomato suspension agreement protects all U.S. tomato producers

In April, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its intent to withdraw from the 2019 Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico, with termination effective in 90 days, or mid-July.

The DOC said the current agreement failed to protect U.S. tomato growers from unfairly priced Mexican imports.

This has long been a contentious issue, and the Washington Post ran an article on it last month, which Robert Guenther, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, BB #:162441 said unfairly portrays it as a political maneuver.

Guenther explained his position in a LinkedIn post and expanded on it in an exclusive interview with Blue Book.

“The Post piece missed the mark by framing the issue around the cost difference between Mexican and U.S. tomatoes, which risks implying that U.S. products are simply more expensive — a narrative that ultimately doesn’t serve consumers or farmers,” he said.

“The core issue is the proven dumping of product by Mexican growers, which violates legal agreements and harms U.S. farmers through unfair trade practices. These dumping actions cause significant economic damage, as recognized in trade enforcement cases, yet enforcement and duties have not been sufficiently applied,” Guenther said.

He said that while the Florida Tomato Exchange has been a leader in protecting its members and laying out the case with the Department of Commerce, the termination of the agreement benefits all U.S. tomato growers.

“There’s strong alignment among U.S. growers — California, Florida, and across the country — that the suspension agreement is failing,” Guenther said.

“We’re all seeing the same thing — year after year, dumped Mexican tomatoes flood the market, driving down prices below our cost of production. This isn’t about regional  competition — it’s about survival.”

He said that 60 members of Congress from 11 states (including California) submitted letters in support of termination, as did the American Farm Bureau and state farm bureaus from Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Independent tomato growers from another twelve states also wrote in support of termination, he said.

“Growers across the board agree the suspension agreement must end, and that duties should be fully enforced. This isn’t just a Florida issue anymore. It’s a national concern that requires a firm commitment to fair trade and proper enforcement by the Commerce Department,” Guenther said.