MEXICO CITY, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Mexico will enter negotiations with the United States after the U.S. Department of Commerce proposed a 20.91 percent countervailing duty on Mexican tomatoes, Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Julio Berdegue announced Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Berdegue explained that the talks, to involve tomato growers from northwestern states like Sinaloa and Sonora, must reach a resolution within 90 days, ahead of the July 14 deadline when the tariff is set to take effect.

U.S. tomato growers, particularly in Florida, have long accused Mexican producers of unfairly underpricing their tomatoes. However, Berdegue dismissed these claims as unfounded and politically motivated.

"Since 1996, our exports have operated under a suspension agreement following an anti-dumping investigation," Berdegue said. "Six out of every ten tomatoes consumed in the United States are grown in Mexico. If these duties go through, Americans will simply pay more for their tomatoes, salads, ketchup ... everything."

He also stressed that few countries can match Mexico's ability to supply high-quality tomatoes at competitive prices. "There are few other countries that can match this volume at these prices," he added. "If the United States moves forward, consumers will end up paying 21 percent more."

The current suspension agreement between the U.S. Commerce Department and Mexican exporters has been in place since 2019, following four earlier accords over the past 30 years.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed out that her government was not formally notified of the proposed duty, and instead, U.S. authorities informed legal representatives of Mexican producers in the United States. ■