The United States could impose an 18.32 percent tariff on Mexican strawberries, according to a preliminary estimate still being verified by U.S. authorities. Their investigation has reportedly been extended to include all Mexican strawberries, not just those grown in winter, as originally planned.
The National Association of Berry Exporters (Aneberries) stated that U.S. authorities decided to continue the antidumping investigation comprehensively, rather than regionally or seasonally; that is, without focusing solely on the harm to Florida’s winter strawberry industry, as requested by producers in that state.
However, this alleged expansion of the investigation’s scope is not yet reflected on the official website of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), which is responsible for the final determination in conjunction with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).
The dumping margin refers to the percentage difference by which a product is sold in a foreign market below its cost of production or its price in the country of origin. In the case of strawberries, this margin would tentatively be 18.32 percent, based on import statistics from November to March of 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025.
However, this margin could still be recalculated by the DOC, especially if the investigation is extended to exclude seasonality and regionality criteria, which would require basing it on figures from full years.
Aneberries (which represents berry producers and marketers in Mexico) reiterated that the possible imposition of trade measures by the US remains under review. “The US authorities have already rejected the seasonality concept promoted by SGFT (Strawberry Growers for Fair Trade), determining that the analysis must be conducted comprehensively, with a national focus on the US market,” Aneberries noted.
“This means that the concept of ‘winter strawberries’ should not be applied, nor will a single trade region be evaluated. To date, no dumping practices have been determined, nor has a causal link been established between Mexican exports and injury to the U.S. industry.”
In March, the ITC reported that it found “reasonable grounds” for injury to the domestic industry due to massive imports of “unfairly cheap” Mexican winter strawberries. According to the law firm Buchanan, which represents Florida growers in the case, if the DOC upholds the charge, the U.S. would begin imposing preliminary tariffs on imports of this crop by the end of June of this year, with the final tariffs taking effect in early 2027.
Source: vanguardia
