Fla. Tomato Growers Say Mexico Trade Deal Is Rotten : NPR
Half of all tomatoes eaten in the U.S. come from Mexico, and tomato growers in Florida aren’t happy about that. In fact, they’re willing to risk a trade war to reverse the trend.At JC Distributing In Nogales, Ariz., one misstep and you’re likely to get knocked over by a pallet full of produce. Forklifts crisscross each other carrying peppers, squash and especially tomatoes from trucks backed into the warehouse loading dock.Enlarge imageJ. Pat Carter/AP“This is a Mexican truck being unloaded,” says JC President Jaime Chamberlain. “He’s just waiting for his paperwork to get back.”JC is one of a number of produce distributors just north of the Mexican border. Chamberlain says his company alone handles more than 87 million pounds of tomatoes each year — tomatoes sold in stores across the country.“This is a box of grape tomatoes, and this is from a grower of ours in Jalisco,” Chamberlain says.For 16 years, the Mexican growers have agreed not to sell tomatoes below what’s called a reference price. That was supposed to protect Florida tomato growers from cheap Mexican tomatoes.via Fla. Tomato Growers Say Mexico Trade Deal Is Rotten : NPR.