ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

And really soon.

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday imposed an immediate 17.09% tariff on tomatoes imported into this country from Mexico. And given most of the tomatoes sold in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ — and, for that matter, in the United States — come from Mexico, estimates are the new charge could add 10% to prices, or more.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, in his own plea to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick asking him not to impose the tariffs, cited a study suggesting that tomato prices could rise an average of 50%.

None of that convinced the secretary.

“For far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes,’’ he said in a prepared statement. “That ends today.’’

The move ends what is known as the “Tomato Suspension Agreement’’ first instituted in 1996 where the federal agency agreed not to impose tariffs on tomatoes from Mexico if they were not sold below a certain “reference price.’’ Essentially a floor on what’s paid to the farmer or grower, it runs from 31 cents to 83 cents a pound, depending on the time of year, the kind of tomato, whether it is grown in a controlled environment, and whether it is organic or not.

The agreements, last updated in 2019, also have are requirements for inspection at the border.

In April, responding to complaints led by the Florida Tomato Exchange, the Commerce Department concluded that Mexican companies were selling tomatoes in the United States at prices below what it costs to produce or below prices in their home markets. That led the agency to announce it was terminating the agreement.

And that, in turn, paved the way for what the Commerce Department to impose what it calls an “anti-dumping’’ duty.

The concept is not unique. According to the agency it currently has 768 anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders “which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.’’

Gov. Katie Hobbs on Monday, blamed the president.

“Donald Trump’s reckless trade war is raising prices, threatening our economic growth and killing jobs,’’ she said in a prepared statement. “He is threatening to kill over 50,000 jobs between ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and Texas and forcing ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns to pay more at the grocery store, all to benefit Florida farmers.’’

That comes from a study by Texas A & M University saying that the tomato import trade directly and indirectly supports 50,000 jobs in the two states with $8.3 billion in economic impact.

Hobbs, however, did not address the findings by the Commerce Department that Mexican farmers were using “unfair trade practices,’’ to give them a financial advantage over domestic producers. Instead, press aide Christian Slater said she is focused solely on what all this means here.

“She gives a damn about ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns losing their jobs and paying more for tomatoes at the grocery store,’’ he said.

But Robert Guenter, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, said that ending the suspension agreements was long overdue.

“For more than three decades, five consecutive agreements have failed to stop the illegal dumping of unfairly priced tomatoes into the U.S. market from Mexican producers,’’ he said in prepared comments. “This dumping has devastated the U.S. tomato industry: More than 60% of U.S. tomato growers have gone out of business since 2000, and the U.S. market share has dropped from 80% to 30% during that time.’’

Three members of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s congressional delegation, however, have their own theory about why all that is occurring. They contend that if domestic growers are losing a share of the market, some of it could be their own fault.

“While some segments of the North American tomato supply chain have innovated to meet evolving consumer preferences, others have not,’’ wrote Sen. Mark Kelly and Rep. Greg Stanton, both Democrats, and Republican Rep. David Schweikert in their own letter in May to Lutnick urging him not to follow through with the tariff plan. “It is clear to us that imported tomatoes are not the root cause of the challenges that some portions of our domestic industry face.’’

Kelly doubled down on that Monday.

“Terminating this agreement won’t solve the problems facing ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ growers,’’ he said in a prepared statement. And the senator also said that the administration “has not found any violations’’ despite Lutnick’s findings of unfair trade practices.

Lutnick, in Monday’s statement, defended the move.

“This rule change is in line with President Trump’s trade policies and approach with Mexico,’’ he said.

Hobbs, in her news release, attached statements from others also opposed to the new tariffs.

“This decision will damage trade imports and have severe consequences for Nogales in revenue, employment and trade,’’ said Mayor Jorge Maldonado.

“The policy will shift costs to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ small businesses, restaurants and grocers, which will raise prices, slow hiring and threaten livelihoods,’’ said Kimber Lanning, chief executive of Local First ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

And Todd Sanders, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, called the now-scrapped agreement “a model of fair trade, balancing access to Mexico’s ideal growing conditions with protections for U.S. growers and consumers.’’

The issue of free trade and tariff-free tomatoes has been a bipartisan effort in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ for years.

In 2019, then-Gov. Doug Ducey wrote to Wilbur Ross, who then headed the Department of Commerce, urging him not to scrap the suspension agreement. The focus of the Republican governor, at least in part, was the economic impact on border communities which are integral to the importation process.

“Border communities are essential to our nation’s trade with Mexico and efforts focused on promoting investment and job creation in these areas are vital,’’ Ducey wrote.

That did result in the Commerce Department, under the first Trump administration, extending the agreement — until now.

Last year, Hobbs added her voice when extension of the contract was under the purview of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, an appointee of President Biden. She, along with Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo, urged Raimondo to “reject any attempt to terminate this vital agreement and instead renew it for another five years.’’

In the end, though, the agency, now back under Trump, concluded an extension made no sense.

The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Farm Bureau, for its part, is taking no official position about the decision by the Department of Commerce to end the suspension agreement. It has members who grow tomatoes not only in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ but in Mexico.

But Julie Murphree, a spokeswoman for the organization, said it is concerned.

“We do like to point out that Mexico is our largest trading partner,’’ she said, saying her organization had hoped there could be a new agreement.

Murphree also said this isn’t about competition with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ operations which tend to grow specialty tomatoes in greenhouses.

“Our production would barely put a dent in relieving any of the demand,’’ she said.

Other states, however, have a different perspective. And it’s not just Florida.

Dan Wright, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, sent his own letter to Lutnick supporting the end of the suspension agreement, calling it a “critical step toward re-establishing a fair market for American farmers.’’