Those include the Florida tomato growers’ demands, which are supported by some berry, melon and pepper producers, for stronger anti-dumping measures — an idea that has been soundly rejected by the Mexicans. When you buy an industrial Florida tomato, it has been grown outdoors in a field, harvested green, and ripened near the grocery store with ethylene gas. Now U.S. tomato growers’ demand to make it easier for regional producers to bring anti-dumping complaints could become a stumbling block in the NAFTA negotiations. The tomato growers’ provision did not come up at this round of NAFTA talks in Washington, according to several people familiar with the negotiations. DiMare, for his part, isn’t terribly anxious: He says he believes that the Trump administration will continue to push for protections for tomato growers.

Source: thestar October 17, 2017 21:56 UTC