Trump tariffs could impact prices in Mississippi; farmers on the fence about local impact

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – The price tags on everything from fruit to vegetables to even cell phones could be going up.

This comes just days after President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports.

Tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods are at a standstill until March.

But what does this all mean for Mississippi?

“Canada, Mexico and China are top trading partners for the United States and for the State of Mississippi,” said Kathleen Thomas, Department of Finance and Economics head/Economics professor at Mississippi State University.

Leaders in all three countries have threatened retaliatory tariffs on all American-made products, including some of Mississippi’s biggest exports, liker soy beans.

That crop’s value is set at just under $2 billion.

South Mississippi Farmers Bureau President Jeff Easterling said many farmers like himself are worried after suffering losses due to tariffs passed during Trump’s first term.

Easterling said export sales become even more important when business is slow here in Mississippi.

“What is my crop going to be worth this year?” Easterling asked “Is it going to be worth my time to put this in the ground and tend to it?

“Then, wondering what it’ll be once it’s harvest time.”

However, Easterling said he believes there could be a bright side, if the tariffs could get more people to shop local.

The state’s agriculture industry sits at just below $10 billion.

“People can actually manage some risks, so to speak, on their operations if they have some niche markets that are locally grown and traded so that it is all consumed right here,” Easterling said.

The solution to the issue depends on who you ask.

“We do have rules and regulations here, and people do abide by them to create a safe product for American people to consume,” Easterling said.

But, Thomas said folks were right to have real concerns about the both state’s and country’s economic futures.

“(A battle over tariffs) can possibly lead to inflation and impact economic growth,” Thomas said. “That’s not good.”

China said it would impose a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products, in addition to a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.

The tariffs would take effect Monday.

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