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MEXICO CITY — <\/span>Mexico and the United States said Tuesday that they had reached an agreement under which Mexico would send a minimum amount of water annually to the U.S.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump had threatened to raise tariffs by 5%<\/a> on Mexican imports if it did not deliver more water. The countries have been negotiating the issue for months.<\/p>\n Under the new agreement, Mexico will send at least 350,000 acre-feet of water to the United States each year during the current five-year cycle. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover 1 acre of land to a depth of 1 foot.<\/p>\n Mexico\u2019s commitment to a minimum annual delivery amount is a change from what is required under the 1944 Water Treaty.<\/p>\n Under the existing treaty, Mexico must deliver 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. from six tributaries every five years. The average annual amount is 350,000 acre-feet, but the U.S. has complained that Mexico builds up a water debt in the first years of a cycle that hurts Texas farmers before eventually meeting the treaty requirement.<\/p>\n The United States, in return, gives Mexico even more water from other water sources farther west along their shared border.<\/p>\n The agreement reached between the governments would even out those deliveries from Mexico.<\/p>\n Mexico\u2019s Foreign Affairs, Environmental and Agriculture ministries confirmed an agreement with the U.S. in a statement Tuesday, but without including the agreed to amount. \u201cMexico confirmed its willingness to guarantee the delivery of an annual minimum quantity agreed to by both countries,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n While the U.S. government celebrated the agreement as a victory, it is a sensitive issue in Mexico, especially among farmers in northern states suffering drought conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the border state of Tamaulipas, across from Texas, farmers have said in recent weeks that the lack of water has led some to not plant crops.<\/p>\n The agreement followed a phone conversation last week between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum<\/a>.<\/p>\n In December, Sheinbaum had said Mexico would be sending more water<\/a> to cover the existing debt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n