What the Tomato Teaches Us About Free Trade
The humble red fruit is a perfect illustration of how commerce helps both Mexico and the US make their economies more productive.
How high will that price go?
Photographer: Jim Watson/AFP
Most tomatoes from Mexico will face a 21% tariff effective July 14, the US Department of Commerce said last week. Ironically, the “love apple” may be the perfect illustration of how trade contributes to economic prosperity — and of the folly of President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies.
First and foremost, the tomato trade gives Americans access to wintertime produce. While fresh US tomatoes are abundant and delicious in the summer, most states simply can’t produce the fussy fruit on a year-round basis (Florida is the primary exception here, and I’ll return to it shortly.) Before agricultural trade boomed under the North American Free Trade Agreement, US consumers had to pay significantly more for a tomato in December or January than in August or September. The growth of trade has not only slowed tomato inflation, it’s also made supply and prices more stable.