He Department of Agriculture of USA (USDA) announced Friday night that it has reached an agreement with Mexicowhich has failed to fulfill its obligations in a water-sharing treaty and which led to a threat from the president donald trump to impose duty.
“The United States and Mexico reached an agreement today to meet the current water resources obligations of American farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover the water deficit to Texas under the framework of the 1944 Treaty“, indicated the USDA department in a statement.
He specified that this agreement applied to the “current cycle and the water deficit of the previous cycle.”
Trump accused Mexico on Monday of not respecting the water sharing treaty between both countries and that forces the United States to send 1,850 million cubic meters of water. Colorado River and Mexico to provide 432 million of the liquid from the Rio Bravo.
Mexico is behind on its obligations. According to Washington, its neighbor has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water in the last five years.
“This violation seriously damages our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas“Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture explained on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and catch up on the delay.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said that Mexico delivered more water in one year than in the previous four years in total.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fail in its commitments, the United States reserves the right to impose duty from 5% to imported Mexican products.
According to the Mexican Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for North America, Robert Velascoa severe drought in 2022 and 2023 prevented the country from meeting its obligations.
