Strawberry growers in the Ruskin and Plant City corridor could see some competitive relief after the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed preliminary antidumping duty cash-deposit requirements on Mexican winter strawberry imports.

The agency published its preliminary determination Friday, Aug. 21, finding that fresh winter strawberries from Mexico are being sold in the United States below fair value. The determination requires Mexican exporters to post cash deposits ranging from 3.37% to 5.28%, with a 4.83% rate for companies not individually investigated.

The ruling covers strawberries harvested in, or imported from, Mexico from November through March, the same window when growers in Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties produce their winter crop. Most of Florida’s strawberry acreage is concentrated in that region.

“The market is, just like anything else, it’s costing us more to do business, costing us more to grow, it’s cost us more to harvest, more to do everything. Cost of fuel, fertilize,” Andy McDonald, a fifth-generation grower with Sweet Life Farms in Plant City, told Tampa Bay's WFTS. “So, our margins are razor thin.”

McDonald is part of a coalition called Strawberry Growers for Fair Trade that filed the antidumping petition on Dec. 31, 2025. The group alleged Mexican winter strawberries were priced 18.32% below fair value. Commerce’s preliminary cash-deposit rates came in well below that figure, but the coalition’s lead counsel, Daniel Pickard of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, called the ruling a significant step toward relief for American winter strawberry growers against unfairly priced imports.

What it means locally

Florida’s strawberry industry spans roughly 16,000 acres and is valued at about $500 million, according to the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. About 98% of U.S. strawberry imports came from Mexico last year, totaling more than $1 billion, according to USDA data reported by CNN.

For shoppers, the ruling could nudge prices higher. The USDA reported an average retail price of $3.80 per pound for fresh strawberries in 2023. If the full 18.32% alleged dumping margin were passed to consumers, that would add about 70 cents per pound, though Commerce’s preliminary cash-deposit rates are far smaller.

McDonald said he is not trying to shut out Mexican producers. He told WFTS he wants fair competition, not exclusion, saying there is a need for Mexican growers but that domestic farms deserve a level playing field.

What happens next

The Commerce Department’s determination is preliminary. Commerce’s final determination is due 75 days after the preliminary determination unless the deadline is postponed. The final cash-deposit rate could change, and final antidumping duties also require a separate affirmative injury determination from the U.S. International Trade Commission.