The Arizona congressional delegation is once again working to ensure that fresh tomatoes from Mexico can be imported into the United States duty-free.

U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally and U.S. Reps. David Schweikert, R-Fountain Hills, and Tom O’Halleran, D-Casa Grande, sent a to U.S. International Trade Commission Secretary Lisa Barton underscoring the importance of international produce trade to Arizona’s economy.

The USITC is in its final phase of an investigation determining whether the U.S. produce industry is at risk due to Mexican imports of fresh tomatoes.

Earlier this month, the Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) filed a request to continue that , just a month after the U.S. Department of Commerce signed a new suspension agreement with the Mexican tomato industry ensuring tomato imports remain duty-free.

Now, Arizona’s representatives are stepping up to keep the cross-border produce trade duty-free.

“As the Commission continues the final phase of its to determine whether a U.S. industry was materially injured or is threatened with material injury by reason of imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico, we respectfully urge that you consider the interests of American consumers and Arizona workers in making any determination,” the representatives said in the letter to the USITC.

“Imported tomatoes give consumers choices and access to a higher quality and greater variety of produce,” the letter continues. “Our trade relationship with Mexico is also an economic driver for our state, region, and country.”

McSally has introduced an amendment to a spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State departments to prevent the antidumping investigation from proceeding.

“None of the funds appropriated by this Act or any other Act may be used for the purpose of enforcing a suspension agreement, continuing an antidumping duty investigation or enforcing an antidumping duty order related to fresh tomatoes from Mexico,” the amendment reads.

Arizona is one of the country’s leading entry points for fresh produce from Mexico.

“Trade in tomatoes from Mexico supports around 33,000 American jobs and contributes millions of dollars to the economy of Arizona.Ěý I will continue to fight on behalf of ArizonansĚýfor duty-free trade in tomatoes,” McSally said.

A Ěýreferenced in the letter to the USITC confirmed McSally’s jobs number claim and revealed that supply chains derived from Mexican tomato imports account for nearly $3 billion in U.S. gross domestic product.

“We will continue working to protect Arizona jobs from unnecessary trade restrictions,” Sinema said in a .

Sinema was instrumental in the successful negotiation of the new suspension agreement.

“Arizona’s relationship with neighbor Mexico supports thousands of jobs across the state and is a driver of our economic growth,” Schweikert said in a . “I am pleased to see the Arizona delegation stay consistent in working together to protect our cross-border trading relationships and Arizona jobs from harmful trade restrictions.”

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The Florida Tomato Exchange filed a request to continue the antidumping investigation of fresh tomatoes from Mexico.

The action to reignite the investigation comes just one month after the United States Department of Commerce signed a new suspension agreement with the Mexican tomato industry.

“U.S. trade law, however, permits domestic producers to request continuation of the investigation,” the Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) wrote in a . “The FTE is taking this action reluctantly. The Department of Commerce did an excellent job under difficult circumstances negotiating the new suspension agreement, which the FTE continues to support.

“Unfortunately, the Mexican tomato industry does not agree and has signaled its intention to challenge the agreement legally and politically, even though they signed the agreement just last month,” the statement said.Ěý

The FTE’s decision to request a continuation of the investigation follows an Oct. 3 letter from the Mexican growers associations, CAADES, that “signaled a strong likelihood that they will challenge the new suspension agreement in court.”

After the FTE announcement, the Mexican tomato growers released a statement saying the FTE’s announcement is misleading and mischaracterizing recent events.

“We are surprised by the announcement that the FTE is seeking a continuation of the antidumping investigation that could void the agreement recently reached with the Commerce Department after many months of negotiations,” the Mexican tomato growers said in the .

According to the Mexican tomato growers, the Oct. 3 letter did not signal an intent to either challenge the agreement in court nor renegotiate the agreement. It was simply correcting the characterization of data and “unfounded allegations” put on the record after the agreement was signed.

“The Mexican tomato industry negotiated its agreement with the Commerce Department in good faith and has every intention of abiding with that agreement throughout its term. So long as the agreement is administered in good faith and in accordance with its terms, the Mexican industry has no intention of ever withdrawing,” the Mexican tomato growers continued.

The new suspension agreement will remain in effect during the new investigation. Upon completion, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission will determine whether or not Mexican tomatoes were dumped in the U.S. and if the dumping harmed the U.S. tomato industry, according to the FTE.

“If both determinations are affirmative, the suspensionĚý agreement will remain in place, and duties will notĚý be imposed so long as the agreement is in effect. Alternatively, if there is a negative finding, the proceeding will end, the suspension agreement will be terminated, and there will be free trade,” FTE said in the statement.

“The data show clearly that U.S. producers are not injured or threatened with injury by imports from Mexico. Rather, our growers have done just what good, private companies should do. We have spent billions of dollars over recent years converting our production to greenhouses and other protected agriculture types of production to bring a fresher, vine-ripe tomato to the U.S. market. U.S. consumers have turned to those tomatoes not because they are cheaper, because they are not, but because they are fresher and tastier and simply a better product,” said Rosario Beltran, president of CAADES.

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The United States Department of Commerce axed the 23-year Tomato Suspension Agreement that kept a high flow of tomatoes coming up from Mexico, through the border, and then onto the plates of hungry Arizonans at a low price. Now, with the end of the agreement, economists, suppliers, and importers alike are looking at the fallout, eyeballing the inevitable rise in prices and fall of supply.

The move, spearheaded by lawmakers out of Florida and approved by the Secretary Wilbur Ross, had been warned about for months as importers and consumers began to consider what pulling out of the agreement would do to prices, supply, and our overall relationship with our biggest trade partner.

Reports have pointed to prices rising anywhere from 40 percent to 85 percent depending on time of year, like in the winter months when demand skyrockets. Plus, it could spell trouble for some of the 33,000 jobs in Arizona. Now, the Department of Commerce says it’s looking to start investigations into whether or not Mexican growers undercut growers in the United States, primarily in Florida, and dumped their tomatoes in the U.S. at unfairly low prices.

Secretary Ross put out a news release touching on this last point, stating that his department is “committed to ensuring that American domestic industries are protected from unfair trading practices.”

But ending the agreement is just a starting point as a new 17.5-percent tariff on Mexican tomato imports has just been imposed. All of this isn’t settling well with those on both sides of the border involved in the tomato trade, an industry that pumps life into the country’s economy by the billions.

At this point, the repeal has brought a hefty amount of confusion among importers who are trying to figure out if they need to pay their bonds or lay people off for the time being, according to economist Luis Ramirez.

“For importers, there’s a bit of gloom and doom,” Ramirez said. “While the formal rules have not been published, the importers don’t even know the procedures for paying their bond. Some of that stuff is supposed to be retroactive, so they’re trying to figure out how to pay new duties and tariffs. There’s uncertainty about how to do it.”

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) released a statement expressing disappointment with the decision to end the agreement, most notably for the fact that it will impact jobs.

“It is our understanding that the Mexican growers put several proposals on the table to improve an already effective agreement,” the FPAA said in a statement. “Despite the fact that the agreement has been terminated, our hope is that Commerce continues to work in good faith with the growers in Mexico to negotiate a new agreement that balances concerns of growers in Florida with the need to protect our robust trading relationship.”

The FPAA is based in Nogales, a port of entry location for Arizona that lost its crown as the top U.S. gateway for Mexican tomatoes. It usually sees around $600 million-worth of the commodity come through its border during a full import season, but now they expect that number to reduce, as well as jobs cut.

“The FPAA is working closely with our members, (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and Commerce to ensure that the termination of the agreement and imposition of duties is as seamless as possible,” the organization said last week. “We again thank our members, our industry allies and our elected officials for their tireless efforts in this process.”

Currently, the Department of Commerce said that negotiations will continue with Mexico with the goal of reaching a new deal that would be acceptable to growers on both sides of the border.

A number of Arizona policymakers supported maintaining the agreement with Mexico, including Gov. Doug Ducey and member of the Arizona congressional delegation.

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