Despite this incredible success, we're facing unprecedented uncertainty. Predictability has been eroded, and governments are putting in place tariffs and non-tariff measures that blatantly contradict trade rules. It's happened here in North America, and it's happening abroad.
Last spring, CAFTA released a prescription for what's required from trade agreements in this new environment. Realizing Canada's export potential in an unpredictable and fiercely competitive world outlines what is required for Canadian agri-food exports to continue to set records.
CAFTA's first recommendation is to preserve and enhance access to key export markets, which is exactly what ratifying and bringing CUSMA into force as quickly as possible would do. We understand the nationalist noises swirling around. We saw them firsthand when we attended the negotiation rounds for CUSMA in all three capitals. It's why we applauded when Canada concluded talks last fall. It's why CAFTA welcomed the end of aluminum and steel tariffs. We appreciate the value of tariff-free markets because, for the agri-food industry, tariff-free access has been incredible for our sector.
Over the last 25 years Canadian agri-food exports to the U.S. and Mexico have nearly quadrupled under NAFTA. They've gone from $9 billion in 1993 to $34 billion in 2019. Today, the U.S. and Mexico are our first- and fourth-largest markets, representing about 55% of all of our agri-food exports.
We at CAFTA support CUSMA because it will build on the success of NAFTA. It will preserve our duty-free access to North American markets, and it's this duty-free access that is the foundation of the success of our sector.
Our members, including the hundreds of thousands of farmers, ranchers, food processors and agri-food exporters across the country, rely on trade for their livelihood. We're very pleased that the Canadian government is taking steps to ensure that CUSMA is brought into force.