<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Nogales, AZ-</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">1.24.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>American produce consumers are facing a “tomato cliff” that could result in doubled prices at the supermarket if the U.S. terminates a trade agreement with Mexico, a move favored by Florida tomato growers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"This is like playing Russian roulette with America's pocketbook," said Lance Jungmeyer, President of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas in a statement.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/Tomato_Cliff_BODY.jpg" alt="Images012413" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>If Mexican tomatoes are restricted from the U.S. market, prices for varieties such as on-the-vine hothouse tomatoes could rise from $2.50 to nearly $5 a pound, and grape tomato prices could soar to nearly $5.50 a pound according to an analysis by the Nielsen Perishables Group for the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Dr. Tim Richards, Morrison Chair Professor of Agribusiness at Arizona State University and head of the study team said, "We found that if Mexican imports are excluded from the U.S. market, retail prices during the December-May timeframe can be expected to rise by 97.9 percent for hothouse round, 96.9 percent for hothouse vine, 61.3 percent for snacking, 217.2 percent for Roma, and 52.1 percent for field tomatoes.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"A 'tomato cliff' is fast approaching," said FPAA President Lance Jungmeyer. "For all practical purposes, time is running out for the U.S. Department of Commerce to reach an agreement with Mexican growers on the floor price for imported fresh tomatoes."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Florida growers are in a “fight for their lives,” Jungmeyer tells AndNowUKnow. Facing high costs associated with the fertilizers needed to make the soil viable, restrictions from the EPA, and high input costs, the growers are quickly losing their competitive edge and pushing to keep Mexican-grown tomatoes out of U.S. markets.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“We are hopeful they can come to an agreement,” said Jungmeyer. “Tomatoes have represented a ‘bright spot’ in supermarket produce and customers have come to expect vine ripe tomatoes. Putting restrictions on availability could remove the exciting appeal from retail.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.freshfrommexico.com/ " target="_new">FPAA </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
