Tomatoes on their way north across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arizona industries including mining and agricultural imports would benefit from the pending trade agreement for the U.S., Mexico and Canada, according to a new report.
The tentative agreement, which is being considered by each of the country's legislative bodies, would likely impact the 230,000 jobs in Arizona that depend on trade with Mexico and Canada, said Erik Lee, co-author of the report and director of the North American Research Partnership.
The tentative deal includes provisions that are helpful to some Arizona industries and left out at least one that is helpful to tomato growers in northern Mexico and to fresh produce importers in Southern Arizona, Lee said.
Arizona’s economy expanded under the North American Free Trade Agreement, and it’s positioned to perform better under the new deal, the report says. The report was funded in part by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona-Mexico Commission.
"It is a worthy successor to NAFTA," Lee said. "It's quite similar in content but updated in key areas in a number of positive ways."
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