Mexico Tariff Resolution

Mexico Tariff Resolution. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Last Thursday the President announced an agreement had been reached with the Mexican government to end the trucking tariff issue. That received a resounding approval from fruit growers across the northwest who have been saddled with the additional tariffs. Washington Congressman Doc Hastings though says this should never have happened.

HASTINGS: This issue was being worked on for 15 years until the National Teamsters Union exercised their political muscle to essentially end it and as a result now our processors have been hurt by this. But I’m glad there is an end in sight and if everything works as planned by this summer all the tariffs should be off and that’s good news.

Hastings talks about the process.

HASTINGS: Within the next two weeks the final agreement will be made public and once that agreement is signed then tariffs will be reduced by 50%. That kicks off then a 30-day comment period in which people can comment on the agreement. After that it will be implemented and once it is fully implemented then all of the tariffs will go away and the best case scenario for that, for all this to come together would be sometime this summer.

The agreement also establishes a reciprocal, phased-in pilot program that allows Mexican trucks to operate inside the U.S. provided they comply with a series of safety and driver-skills and language tests monitored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.