Trade Agreement Will Jack Up Tomato Prices

Competition is evil

U.S. consumers will soon be paying more for tomatoes thanks to the Obama Administration's new trade policy.

Under a just-announced agreement with Mexico, Americans reportedly will be paying up to twice as much for tomatoes grown in Mexico. The increase is entirely due to minimum prices imposed by the Obama Administration because U.S. tomato growers don't want to compete with Mexican tomato producers.

According to Francisco J. Sanchez, the U.S. under secretary of commerce for international trade: "The draft agreement raises reference prices substantially, in some cases more than double the current reference price for certain products."

The tomato agreement undermines the spirit of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was designed to allow consumers in Canada, Mexico, and the United States to do business with each other without interference from greedy special interests seeking government protection from competition.