US Will Impose 21% Tariff On Mexican Tomatoes Starting In July

The US will begin imposing tariffs of more than 20% on most imports of tomatoes from Mexico, citing “unfairly priced” shipments from the country.

A current trade agreement with Mexico for tomatoes failed to protect US growers, the Department of Commerce said in a statement released Monday. It slapped a 20.91% anti-dumping duty on most shipments of the commodity that will begin on July 14.  

Anti-dumping duties are typically applied after a government investigation finds that products are flooding the US at unfair prices, making these levies slightly different than the broader tariffs in President Donald Trump's trade war. 

Mexico is the biggest source of American farm imports, shipping tomatoes, fresh berries and other vegetables.

In recent years, the US, known for being a global agriculture powerhouse, has increased its purchases of food imports. The value of those imports now exceed exports of crops like corn, soybeans and wheat. Inbound shipments of everything from avocados to coffee and sugar are expected to drive the country's agriculture trade deficit to a record $49 billion this year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.