SAN ANTONIO – The proposed 25% tariffs on Mexican imports into the United States are on hold for a month after a pause by President Donald Trump.
KSAT reached out to those who do business with Mexico here in the Alamo City to see what this change could mean for products like produce for consumers in our community.
Nando Gonzalez, a sales manager at River City Produce, said things had been business as usual, but there was some hesitation over the weekend about what would happen.
He says his business is mainly dictated by what Mother Nature does or doesn’t do. He says dealing with fruits and vegetables is always a fluctuating business.
“Keep optimistic and be patient. There is always a solution. There’s always a solution,” Gonzalez said. “Unfortunately, right now, what’s going on is people are very, very worried because all they’re hearing is a 25% tariff. But the flip side to it is, is that it becomes a cost of doing business,” he said.
Gonzalez said because San Antonio is so close to Mexico, a lot of our produce comes from there but also from other parts of the world like Honduras, Peru, Colombia and even states in the U.S.
He explained that the increase might be a few pennies on a product, and it would be up to the consumer to pay for that or find an alternative product that comes from a different place than Mexico and is a different price. The bottom line, he said, is that people will have alternatives.
Gonzalez is staying optimistic that politicians will resolve the situation in a month.
“I personally think that a lot of it is it’s just I think it’s politics trying to get, you know, that the trading partners of the United States attention. And obviously, it worked,” Gonzalez said. “We, as the United States, are a huge consumer of product from Mexico and vice versa. So, I think it is the tactic. Got everyone’s attention, that’s for sure. I think everybody was. Everybody’s listening now,” he said.
There are ways for consumers to save, to start off buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. But many local produce wholesalers are also open to walk in customers. River City Produce is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays for people, they also post a lot of their daily specials on their Facebook page. They say for many families it’s a way to cut out a small amount from their grocery bill.
RELATED: How threatened tariffs could affect prices at the pump, the food you eat