TALLAHASSEE --- State lawmakers are watching to see how President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada and Mexico trickles down to Florida, particularly the citrus industry.
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower from Wauchula, said Tuesday the impact could be “pro and con” for the state’s agricultural industry.
“What it could do is it could provide Florida farmers more of a domestic marketplace, because they would be more competitive with foreign producers. And if that is what happens, that’s a big deal,” Albritton said.
But he also said, “It could work on the other side of that sword, that double-edge sword, sure. It certainly could.”
On Monday, Trump confirmed a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, with a 10 percent tariff placed on Chinese goods. The countries are three of the United States’ largest agricultural trading partners.
Canada has included fresh and dried oranges and grapefruit among items subject to initial retaliatory tariffs.
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister of finance and intergovernmental affairs, added in a news release Tuesday that additional items facing tariffs include frozen orange juice and grapefruit juice.
“As a result of the tariffs imposed by the U.S., Americans will pay more at grocery stores and gas pumps, and potentially lose thousands of jobs,” the news release said. “U.S. tariffs will also disrupt an incredibly successful trading relationship and violate the Canada-U.S.- Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement that was renegotiated by President Trump in his last term.”
The White House contends tariffs are needed to force Canada and Mexico to halt illegal immigration and fentanyl and other drugs from reaching the United States.
Potentially helping Florida growers is that Mexico is a major exporter to the U.S. of products such as watermelons, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, bell peppers, mangoes and squash.