The Mexican government agreed to meet the current water needs of farmers and ranchers in Texas per a 1944 treaty with the U.S., which USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins called “a major win.”

Earlier, the U.S. State Department denied Mexico’s request for Colorado River water under the treaty. The National Onion Association joined the Texas International Produce Association and Texas Citrus Mutual in praising the State Department’s move as a step toward leveling the playing field.

Mexico’s noncompliance enabled farmers there to increase production of onions and other crops exported at prices below U.S. producers’ costs, according to U.S. officials and the industry groups.

“Mexico finally meeting the water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers under the 1944 water treaty is a major win for American agriculture,” Rollins said in a release. “After weeks of negotiations with Mexican cabinet officials alongside Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, we secured an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to thrive.”

“We are pleased that the administration has taken steps to make Mexico comply with the treaty,” onion association executive vice president Greg Yielding said in an interview. “While it’s going to take a little bit (of time) to level out, what’s next is to make sure that that water is going to continue to flow over to the U.S. side. We are just going to keep on it.”

The situation, which the association discussed with U.S. Trade Representative’s Office officials in a meeting April 22, has impacted onion growers nationwide, he said.

Under the new agreement, the Mexican government committed to transfer water from international reservoirs and increase the U.S. share of the flow in six of Mexico’s Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle that concludes in October, according to the USDA release.

The agreement solidified a water plan to meet the needs of Texas farmers and ranchers for the current growing season, according to USDA. The agreement includes water releases and continued commitments through the end of the current cycle.

“While this is a significant step forward, we welcome Mexico’s continued cooperation to support the future of American agriculture,” Rollins said.

The U.S. “welcomes further collaboration with Mexico on their treaty agreements with outstanding water debts in mind, specifically additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on future water deliveries,” according to the USDA.

If Mexico complies with the treaty long term, the country’s farmers will not be able to produce as high a volume of onions and some other crops, and “are going to have to make decisions about what to grow,” Yielding said. Mexico will not be “making agricultural land out of desert.”

The treaty requires Mexico to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of Rio Grande water to the U.S. over five years. In turn, the U.S. delivers 1.5 million to Mexico from the Colorado River.

“Mexico’s persistent shortfalls in deliveries has led to severe water shortages” for Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers in the U.S., “devastating crops, costing jobs and threatening the local economy,” according to the release.

During negotiations with Mexico, Rollins announced a $280 million grant agreement between USDA and the Texas Department of Agriculture to provide relief to qualifying Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers harmed by treaty noncompliance.