MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a significant development, Mexico and the United States announced an agreement that mandates Mexico to deliver a minimum amount of water to the U.S. each year. This pact comes after prolonged negotiations following threats from former President Donald Trump to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports should the country fail to increase its water deliveries.

Under the new arrangement, Mexico will ensure the transfer of at least 350,000 acre-feet of water to the United States annually throughout the current five-year cycle. To contextualize this measurement, an acre-foot of water is equivalent to the volume necessary to cover one acre of land to a depth of one foot.

This commitment represents a shift from the stipulations of the 1944 Water Treaty, where Mexico is obligated to deliver a total of 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. derived from six tributaries every five years. While the average annual delivery under the treaty is also set at 350,000 acre-feet, the U.S. has often expressed concerns regarding Mexico's tendency to accumulate a water debt in the early years of the five-year cycle, adversely impacting farmers in Texas before eventually fulfilling the treaty's requirements.

In exchange for Mexico's adherence to this new agreement, the United States has pledged to provide Mexico with additional water resources from other sources that are located further west along their shared border. This reciprocal arrangement aims to stabilize the flow of water from Mexico to the United States.

The agreement was confirmed in a statement on Tuesday by Mexico's ministries of Foreign Affairs, Environment, and Agriculture. However, the official statement did not disclose the specific amount agreed upon. It did note Mexico's commitment to ensuring the delivery of a mutually agreed-upon minimum quantity of water.

The U.S. government has lauded this agreement, viewing it as a triumph, but it has ignited concern within Mexico, particularly among farmers in the northern states facing severe drought conditions. In Tamaulipas, a border state adjacent to Texas, local farmers have reported that the ongoing water scarcity has discouraged many from planting crops this season.

This agreement followed a phone conversation between Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last week, highlighting the diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing water dispute. Previously, in December, Sheinbaum had indicated that Mexico would increase water deliveries to address the existing water debt.