Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper sent a letter to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), calling for protections for American specialty crop producers as the bilateral negotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) continue.
How have specialty crop producers been affected? As produce imports from Mexico continue to rise, American farmers face strong competitive pressure.
Harper’s letter raises significant concerns regarding economic impact, regulatory requirements, and national security. A third round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in Mexico City the week of July 20, 2026.
What Commissioner Tyler J. Harper had to say in the letter:
- “Fresh fruit and vegetable imports from Mexico have increased by more than 550 percent since 2001. These imports frequently enter U.S. markets during peak harvest periods, depressing prices and forcing American growers to compete against producers operating under substantially different labor, environmental, and regulatory standards.”
- “Labor costs represent roughly half of production expenses for many specialty crop operations. Mexican agricultural wages remain significantly lower than those paid by American growers, who consistently rely on the costly H-2A guest worker program to meet labor demands.”
- “At the same time, many foreign producers are not subject to the same environmental, pesticide, food safety, and labor regulations required of U.S. farmers. This creates an uneven playing field that threatens the long-term viability of domestic specialty crop production.”
- “Georgia farmers have invested generations of work into building a strong agricultural economy. They deserve a fair opportunity to compete and continue providing American consumers with safe, reliable, domestically grown food.”
Further Context: Specialty crop production remains vital to the success of Georgia and its local communities. For example, food and fiber commodities generated over $100 billion in revenue to Georgia’s economy in 2024, supporting 370,000 jobs.
While Georgia grown products are known for high quality and safety, Georgia farmers will soon be unable to compete against lower-priced imports grown under less stringent regulations.
Harper also warned against the increasing involvement of Mexican cartels in the agriculture industry, using food shipments to move illegal drugs into the United States.
Additional reports of producer extortion, supply chain infiltration, and transportation route takeovers impact the reliability of food imports and pose significant challenges to Georgia agriculture.
