Mexican tomato producers have submitted to the US Department of Commerce new proposals to regulate trade in their products in order to put an end to the dispute that led to lower tariffs on Mexican tomato exports to the United States.

In a statement on Thursday June 23, tomato growers said they updated the offer last month for the United States. The previous offer could not prevent a conflict with American competitors seeking to limit the supply of Mexican tomatoes to the US market.

Mexican tomato tariffs of 17.5% came into effect after the United States allowed the termination of the so-called 2013 suspension agreement a little more than two weeks ago.

This agreement for six years stopped the anti-dumping investigation conducted by US manufacturers against Mexican manufacturers.

The latest offer includes new reference prices rising to 180 percent for more tomato categories and expands the USDA marketing order to cover all tomato varieties; it also includes the conditions under which a defective product can be returned back to Mexico, the Mexican tomato producer said in a statement.

This move by Mexican producers followed the US decision last week to abolish tariffs on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum.