MEXICO CITY, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Mexico's labor ministry on Monday announced new agricultural subcontracting rules as the major exporter of tomatoes, berries and chili peppers looks to clamp down on the practice, with inspections set to take place within 90 days.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has for years sought to limit companies' ability to subcontract labor, a practice critics say allows employers to avoid tax and shirk responsibilities to workers' rights.

"The subcontracting reform aims to combat simulation mechanisms," the ministry said in a statement, adding the practice "considerably undermined" state tax collection and impacted workers' access to housing and financing.

New inspection criteria rule that harvesting is part of the main activity of companies dedicated to cultivating, packing, distributing and exporting fruit from Mexico, and that companies engaged in this must hire their own workers.

Producers selling fruit already cut or harvested must also hire their own workers.

The rules ban registering harvesters on a specialized workers roster. Companies can act as intermediaries for recruitment, training and transport, but under the new rules they must be registered and cannot be considered employers.

Mexico had in June said it would ban subcontracting of day laborers in the avocado and berry industries, billions of dollars of which are exported to the United States every year. (Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)