U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and his state’s fruit and vegetable growers on Tuesday agreed that Florida agriculture is under attack from Mexico, resulting in state losses totaling between $1 billion to $3 billion a year.
“Today’s visit showed that Florida growers continue to be harmed by Mexico’s unfair trade practices,” Rep. Buchanan said on March 19 during a press conference that followed his meeting with growers in Palmetto, Fla.
Florida and Mexico share similar growing seasons, and both produce several of the same specialty crops. However, Mexico’s unfair subsidies and illegal dumping of its produce imports on the Florida market are trampling on the agricultural businesses operating in Florida, the congressman explained in an opinion piece published on Feb. 1 by the Bradenton Herald newspaper.
“Over the past five to 10 years, the Mexican government has gifted their agriculture sector with illegal subsidies to grow produce destined for U.S. consumers. And Mexican growers have dumped less-than-fair-value products into our markets. As a result, for the last 19 years, Florida has lost between $1 billion to $3 billion annually,” Rep. Buchanan wrote.
During his meeting this week with Florida growers, the lawmaker also discussed recent bipartisan legislation he sponsored on Jan. 3 with lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Al Lawson Jr. (D-FL).
The Defending Domestic Produce Production Act, H.R. 101, would improve both countervailing and anti-dumping duty procedures for core seasonal industries, among other provisions, according to the text of the bill in the congressional record.
If enacted, Rep. Buchanan said H.R. 101 would loosen the threshold to allow Florida farmers to petition the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate illegal subsidies and dumping of Mexican fruits and vegetables on the U.S. market, according to his op-ed.
“I will continue to push for my bill to provide Florida farmers with the necessary tools to make the case that Mexico is selling produce at unfairly low prices and urge Congress and the Trump administration to protect them in future trade negotiations,” Rep. Buchanan told his home-state growers on Tuesday.
H.R. 101 now is under consideration by the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade for which Rep. Buchanan is the lead Republican.
Representatives of the state’s agricultural industry, including Florida Strawberry Growers Association Executive Director Kenneth Parker, thanked the congressman for championing their cause.
“Rep. Buchanan’s Defending Domestic Produce Production Act equips our seasonal and perishable industry with a workable mechanism to address unfair trade practices,” said John Hoblick, president of the Florida Farm Bureau. “A solution is long overdue and it’s time we stand up for free and fair trade for our Florida farmers.”
Gary Reeder, president of the Manatee County Farm Bureau in Florida, added that H.R. 101 provides growers with “an avenue to be able to fight.”