Florida produce sees opportunity with non-renewal of USMCA

With the USMCA’s non-renewal, Florida’s produce industry finds itself once again engaged in difficult trade discussions.

It is a recurring scene in a three-decade script that surfaces whenever North American trade agreements are on the table. This time, Florida fruit and vegetable growers remain optimistic that the door is open to defend their crops from what they see as policy favoring Mexico dating back to the original NAFTA.

“The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) is encouraged that the Administration chose not to renew USMCA in its current form and instead is using the review process to address shortcomings in the agreement. For Florida fruit and vegetable growers, the current structure has not provided a workable remedy for the surge of seasonal imports during our domestic production window,” said Mike Joyner, CEO of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. “Taking the time to get the policy right is important – not just for growers, but for the long-term resilience of the US food supply.”

In July, the Trump Administration announced it would not support an extension of the USMCA, starting a 10-year phase-out. The agreement now mandates annual reviews before it expires unless Canada, Mexico, and the United States can broker a new agreement.

Mexican Fruit Exports Under USMCA

Mexican fruit and vegetable exports to the US accelerated under NAFTA and continued to increase sharply under the USMCA. Mexico and Florida share the same growing season from late fall to early spring, and producers compete directly to put tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries on US tables.

Mexico exported $20.4 billion in fruit and vegetables to the United States in 2025, a 39% increase from 2020’s total of $14.6 billion, the first year of USMCA, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. In addition, Mexico’s ag sector significantly scaled up production of processed packaging, pre-cut mixes, and value-added retail kits.

This has led to massive infrastructure investments at critical border commerce points such as Laredo, TX, where new inspection facilities, bridge rebuilds, cold storage warehouses, and truck staging areas all support the expansion of interstate highways, rail connections, and logistics parks.

Florida producers say the growth has been unfairly at their expense, citing Mexican government-sponsored subsidies, dubious pricing practices, and low labor rates as the driving reasons behind the Mexican agricultural boom.

“FFVA has consistently favored measures to curb Mexican imports during our season. Our recommended approach - seasonal, product-specific TRQs – would not stop imports or shut down the marketplace. It would continue to allow imports of Mexican produce, but not at levels that risk destroying U.S.-grown production during the fall to spring months of the year,” Joyner said. “The broader policy question is whether the United States wants to maintain a domestic supply during these key months, rather than become increasingly dependent on foreign suppliers for fresh produce when Florida and other U.S. growing regions are in season.”

The Food Fight for Renewal of USMCA

Working against Florida producers is the fact that other farm organizations across North America had been urging an early renewal of the USMCA, encouraged by increased cross-border business as US agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico including dairy, livestock feed, pork, and poultry.

Robert Guenther, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, said the Florida tomato industry sees the non-renewal of the USMCA as an opportunity to insist that trade be fair and free.

“USMCA works for soybeans and corn; it works for auto parts and intellectual property. It has never worked for fresh seasonal produce. That is not an accident. It is a gap that was never filled. The 2026 review is the first real chance in a generation to close it. America cannot maintain a resilient food supply if we allow domestic fruit and vegetable production to disappear one crop at a time. A strong and diverse domestic produce industry is not protectionism. It is an essential part of food security, rural economic stability and consumer resilience,” he said. “...efficient logistics and fair pricing aren’t in tension, they’re complementary. (The Mexican) infrastructure investment is a good thing, and it will keep paying off regardless of the duty, because a modern cold chain moves fairly priced product just as well as it moves underpriced product. What genuinely slows a marketplace down over time is letting dumping hollow out domestic production until you’re dependent on a single foreign source; that’s when you get real volatility and real supply risk. Enforcing fair pricing protects the long-term health of the entire North American market these investments were built to serve. Good logistics and fair competition should reinforce each other, and that’s the market we’re working toward.”

US Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), vice-chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has been pushing for seasonal protections.

Seasonal Outlook: Trade Rate Quotas (TQR)

Buchanan and the Florida produce industry want the current tools, such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties, to be evaluated on a narrow, seasonal basis rather than across the entire domestic industry nationwide.

Using the entire annual domestic production skews the numbers when a regional or seasonal industry—such as Florida winter tomatoes or peppers— attempts to prove injury from imports. The broad numbers can conceal dumping. The key is to isolate Florida’s growing season as distinct from other US produce windows.

In addition, Florida grower groups are seeking the implementation of specialized Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) that, during Florida’s winter season, would allow a certain number of Mexican imports to enter duty-free. Once imports exceed the quota, tariffs kick in. The idea is not to eliminate imports but to prevent import volumes from overwhelming the domestic market during the Florida season.

“Our growers find it impossible to understand why this country would allow them to be sacrificed under NAFTA and then would allow the problem to compound under USMCA. They are hopeful, however, that under our country’s renewed commitment to America First trade principles, our government will right this wrong,” Joyner said. “At this late hour, our country cannot right the wrong by pursuing advisory committees or measures that do nothing to curb imports. To stem our decline, we urgently need the Administration to establish product-specific seasonal TRQs that will effectively limit imports of Mexican produce, especially strawberries, blueberries, bell peppers, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, sweet corn, and lettuce.”

“Without these measures, American consumers may soon be forced to rely entirely on foreign-sourced fresh produce during several months of the year. Compromising our country’s core nutritional needs in this manner jeopardizes America’s food security and, by extension, our national security. We therefore ask the Administration to take all steps necessary to achieve these TRQ measures during the Joint Review.”

“The Florida produce industry shares the Administration’s concern that skyrocketing imports of offshore agriculture pose a grave risk for US-grown production. Years of surging Mexican produce shipments during Florida’s season prove the extent of that risk and the urgent need for corrective measures,” Joyner said. “TRQs are not unusual in trade policy. Countries around the world use tariff-rate quotas for import-sensitive products, and the United States already applies TRQs in several agricultural sectors, including beef, dairy, and sugar. FFVA’s proposal is a targeted, seasonal and product-specific approach to restore balance during Florida’s harvest season while still allowing trade to continue.”

At an April Congressional hearing on the issue, in response to questions from Buchanan, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer acknowledged that Florida winter fruits and vegetables are in a precarious position. He did not make any commitments to the industry’s ask. “We have spoken about this issue before, about seasonality. Obviously, we want to import fruits and vegetables ... in seasons when we don’t make them,” Greer said. “And that’s fine, but there are seasons when we do make them, and we need to make sure that there’s not unfair import competition during that period. We want to protect our farmers who make these specialty crops in Florida and elsewhere.”