In what San Antonio-based greenhouse tomato grower NatureSweet says is “a strong show of support for cross-border agricultural trade and year-round food security,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed House Concurrent Resolution 108 (HCR 108), a bipartisan measure introduced by Rep. Ryan Guillen, that encourages the U.S. Department of Commerce to renegotiate and modernize the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement rather than terminate it.
The resolution recognizes the critical role that greenhouse-grown, vine-ripe tomatoes and U.S.-Mexico agricultural collaboration play in sustaining Texas’s economy, workforce and supply chains, said NatureSweet in a news release.
NatureSweet says that termination of the Tomato Suspension Agreement would trigger 17.09% duties on imported tomatoes and significantly impact prices and availability nationwide.
“This kind of leadership from Texas sets an example for the rest of the country,” said Tom Stenzel, executive director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance, in the release. “Controlled environment growers in both the U.S. and Mexico are united in delivering high-quality, responsibly grown food to American consumers. Policies that support cooperation — not conflict — are essential to the future of fresh produce.”
While NatureSweet and the CEA Alliance are aligned in their desire to see modernization rather than termination of the Tomato Suspension Agreement, the Florida Tomato Exchange continues to call for an end to the agreement.
The Packer reached out to Stenzel for comment on the differing viewpoints.
“We totally agree with the need to continue some type of market stability agreement,” says Stenzel. “U.S. greenhouse growers now provide more than one-third of all fresh market tomatoes in the U.S. The Florida Tomato Exchange simply does not represent the fastest growing segment of the U.S. tomato industry and is trying to protect a failing market.
“All you need to do is look at the retail marketplace and you’ll find greenhouse tomatoes dominate the market. And they’re higher priced as well,” Stenzel continues. “The entire tomato industry has changed since 1996 when this original dumping investigation occurred. What Florida is dealing with is the greenhouse revolution, which is now dominating the market, regardless of where it is grown. They should invest in greenhouses, rather than continuing this political argument, trying to protect a failing industry.”
NatureSweet Chief Legal Officer Skip Hulett says HCR 108 recognizes the cultural and economic value of U.S.-Mexico agricultural trade; highlights vine-ripe, greenhouse-grown tomatoes as essential to cross-border supply chains; and urges continued bilateral cooperation on food, trade and agricultural policy.
The vertically integrated greenhouse tomato grower supports HCR 108 as a “critical acknowledgment of the interdependence between U.S. and Mexican agriculture — and a call to protect the consumers and companies that rely on steady, high-quality supply of vine-ripe tomatoes year-round,” the release said.
“Cross-border agricultural partnerships are essential to feeding families, supporting jobs and maintaining a stable, affordable food supply,” said Hulett in the release. “This resolution is a strong and timely step in recognizing the benefits to U.S. consumers and the U.S. agricultural industry of this trade agreement. It demonstrates how vital the 2019 Suspension Agreement is, and how its termination — instead of renegotiation and modernization — would result in severe economic harm to numerous businesses and communities in Texas.”
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