Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
The Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) is mounting an aggressive defense of the Tomato Suspension Agreement (TSA), warning that abrupt changes to the agreement would destabilize a critical sector of Texas’s economy, endanger jobs, and disrupt the availability of affordable, fresh produce across the United States. At the center of this effort is TIPA President and CEO Dante L. Galeazzi, who has made the preservation of the TSA a top priority.
“Maintaining this agreement is crucial, and ensuring our community understands the impacts withdrawal would have in our region is vital,” Galeazzi said. Under his leadership, TIPA has spearheaded coordinated actions at both the state and federal levels to support the continuation of the agreement and the passage of Texas House Concurrent Resolution 108.
TIPA has worked closely with Texas legislators to provide in-person testimony, detailed economic briefings, and mobilize stakeholders throughout the produce industry. “We have worked directly with state legislators to educate them on the real-world impacts of the TSA on Texas businesses, especially those in the Rio Grande Valley,” Galeazzi stated. “Our association provided in-person testimony for legislative hearings, mobilized our members to contact their representatives, and provided information regarding the economic impacts the withdrawal would have on our region.”
The numbers are staggering. In 2023, South Texas alone imported over 2.1 billion pounds of tomatoes grown in Mexico. This trade flow directly supports over 30,000 jobs in various sectors, including warehousing, logistics, quality control, transportation, and wholesale distribution. “Tomatoes are one of the most significant imported commodities through Texas ports of entry, particularly in Hidalgo County,” Galeazzi emphasized.
TIPA’s federal advocacy has included formal engagement with members of Congress, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and trade policy officials. “We have provided data showing the value of Mexican tomato imports to the Texas economy, as well as highlighted the stability the TSA provides to the binational trade relationship that supports tens of thousands of jobs in our region,” he said.
That stability has enabled key trade infrastructure, such as the Pharr International Bridge and the McAllen Produce Terminal Market, to flourish. “Many of these companies, which started with a handful of employees, now operate multimillion-dollar facilities sending produce across the U.S. and even into Canada,” Galeazzi noted.
Beyond trade advocacy, TIPA is committed to long-term industry growth through workforce development, infrastructure enhancement, food safety education, and increased public awareness. “TIPA is actively involved in a broad range of initiatives designed to enhance the long-term resilience of the fresh produce industry in Texas,” said Galeazzi. These initiatives include partnerships with local colleges and workforce boards, efforts to increase cold storage capacity and expand port hours, as well as food safety training and marketing campaigns aimed at promoting healthy eating habits among schoolchildren.
In the face of potential federal withdrawal from the TSA, TIPA is also working with national organizations to form a united front. “We are collaborating closely with a national coalition that includes industry groups in other states such as Arizona, regional entities such as cities, EDCs, and international bridges, as well as national associations like the Border Trade Alliance,” Galeazzi said. Delegations led by TIPA have traveled to Washington, D.C. to present a consistent message: the TSA is more than a trade tool—it is a linchpin of economic and food security.
Galeazzi warns that eliminating the TSA would bring significant harm to American consumers. “The TSA plays a crucial role in stabilizing prices and ensuring year-round availability of a perishable staple: fresh tomatoes,” he said. “Disrupting a major source of fresh tomatoes would reduce supply, increase costs, and hurt both working families and American consumers who rely on affordable produce.”
TIPA has begun exploring contingency strategies in the event the TSA is terminated, including legal consultation, compliance support, diversification of product categories, and continued advocacy. However, Galeazzi is clear about the consequences: “If the TSA were terminated, the impact would be immediate and severe—disrupting supply chains, delaying shipments, and raising costs.”
He concluded with a firm appeal to federal decision-makers: “No contingency can fully replace the TSA. The most effective course of action is to maintain the agreement and improve upon it where necessary, not discard it and risk destabilizing a vital sector of the Texas economy.”
Through TIPA’s leadership, Texas’s produce industry is standing firm in defense of a critical agreement that underpins jobs, food security, and binational economic cooperation.
