President Donald Trump talks to the media before he departs the White House on June 02, 2019 in Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images

President Donald Trump said Friday that Mexico may be able to avert tariffs on its goods by purchasing American agricultural products. Trump had previously said that escalating tariffs would be imposed, starting Monday, until Mexico took steps to stem unlawful immigration to the U.S. "If we are able to make the deal with Mexico, & there is a good chance that we will, they will begin purchasing Farm & Agricultural products at very high levels, starting immediately," Trump wrote in a post on Twitter. "If we are unable to make the deal, Mexico will begin paying Tariffs at the 5% level on Monday!"

The Mexican peso hit session highs after Trump's tweet before edging down. Tariffs are paid by the domestic importer of goods, not the foreign exporter. The tweet was posted while Trump was aboard Air Force One on his way back from Europe. U.S. and Mexican officials were meeting in Washington for the third day of talks aimed at resolving American border security concerns. Trump tweet A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to questions from CNBC about agricultural exports, and the degree to which they were part of talks with Mexico. The Mexican Foreign Ministry did not immediately provide comment. "This seems very odd to me," said former U.S. Department of Agriculture Chief Economist Joseph Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. "I am not even sure what a commitment like this would mean since private importers [in Mexico] do most of the buying." In 2018, the U.S. exported about $19 billion worth of agricultural products to Mexico, making it the second-largest buyer of U.S. farm-related products after Canada. For many U.S. agricultural commodities, Mexico is the top buyer, including corn, rice, dairy products, poultry, eggs and pecans. Mexico also buys corn from South America and could potentially increase its purchases from the U.S. to help feed its livestock and for tortilla products.