Representatives of the Index fear the possible collection of tariffs starting on January 20, when Donald Trump assumes the presidency of the US.
INDEX is a Private Organization that aims to represent the interests of Export Manufacturing Companies and Industries in the State of Yucatan.
Although the export industry in Yucatan closed 2024 with positive indicators and with an estimated annual growth of between 12 and 14% compared to 2023, during the beginning of 2025 uncertainty and a complicated outlook abound, due to the possible collection of tariffs on products sent to the United States starting on January 20, as well as other taxes established at the federal level for companies.
The president of the National Council of the Maquiladora and Export Manufacturing Industry (Index) in Yucatan, Alejandro Guerrero Lozano, recalled that in 2023 the export industry generated around 1.8 billion dollars for the country from the state, but they trust that the figure for 2024 will be surpassed.
He recalled that last year a series of positive circumstances occurred, particularly at the end of the second half of the year, since in the first half there was also uncertainty due to the electoral process, both in Mexico and in the United States, where the victory of Claudia Sheinbaum and Donald Trump was confirmed, respectively.
He pointed out that, with the election in the United States last November, what was expected was confirmed, and that helped the financial markets to behave stably, although the situation has begun to change at the beginning of this year, due to a series of external and internal factors.
He warned that, in the domestic sector, the textile industry has been affected by a decree from the Federation as of December 20 to supposedly “protect” it; however, there have been a series of complications for export companies, which have to do with the textile part.
He shared that it does not only refer to companies that manufacture clothing since it includes businesses that manufacture seats for cars, trains, and airplanes, medical equipment, gowns for operating rooms, and other related products. “At the end of the day, what happens is that these types of decrees that come out unilaterally affect us, but now there is a federal negotiation where we are working with the Ministry of Economy and the Federal Legal Counsel to correct the problem,” he stressed.
Guerrero Lozano explained that this decree did not have a consensus with Index, on the contrary, it seeks to put a 15% tariff on the import of fabrics from countries with which Mexico does not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), as well as a 35% on the import of finished garments.
In addition, he warned that the main uncertainty is presented with the possibility of charging 25% tariffs starting January 20 on products sent to the United States, which would drastically impact companies that export to that country. “The damage to our country with a 25% tariff would be brutal,” he warned.
TYT Newsroom
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