The so-called ‘green gold’ of Mexico has the doors of the United States temporarily closed. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has blocked imports of Mexican avocado since last June 15, after a group of community members from the municipality of Aranza, Michoacán, detained and beat a pair of American inspectors, who verified the quality of the product to be exported. “As a result of the incident with our inspectors, on instructions from the Embassy’s regional security officer, it has been decided to suspend all operations in the State,” the Biden Government notified the Association of Avocado Exporters in Mexico last Friday. evening.
The attack has also caused the US Government to issue a security alert about the State: “Due to the recent security incidents in Aranza, Michoacán, the Government reminds US citizens not to travel to the State of Michoacán,” indicates the Federal Administration. US authorities have also advised US citizens who work in the area to take refuge. The US State Department has Michoacán with a level 4 alert, equivalent to a warning not to travel due to crimes and kidnappings. In this same danger category are the entities of Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Guerrero and Colima.
The United States only allowed the unloading and storage of Mexican export fruit in cold rooms under the supervision of the Inspection Units. The packaging and shipments of one of the Mexican fruits that shine for its profits estimated at more than 3,000 million dollars can now only be marketed in the local market or to other destinations such as Canada, Spain or Japan.
Michoacán, the leading avocado production and export state in the country, experienced a day of protests and demonstrations last Friday, led by agents from the State Security Secretariat. The police demanded the payment of bonuses and in the middle of that maelstrom the attack on the two American inspectors occurred. State authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident and subsequent blockage of avocado shipments.
Every year, more than one million tons of Mexican avocado is shipped abroad. A USDA document shows that exports of the fruit last year amounted to 1.4 million tons, a growth of 17% compared to the previous year. The United States is the number one market for these shipments, with a share of 81%, equivalent to 2.7 billion dollars. In second, third and fourth place are Canada, Japan and Spain.
Production forecasts point to 2.7 million tons of avocado this year. According to data from the US report, 73% of the production comes from Michoacan lands, Jalisco comes in second place with 12% and the State of Mexico participates with 5% of the harvests. Production has grown steadily over the past ten years, primarily due to growing demand from the United States and other export markets, as well as increasing domestic consumption.
This is not the first time that the United States closes the doors of entry to Michoacan avocados. At the beginning of 2022, a telephone threat against a US employee of the Agricultural Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was a breaking point for the US Government to suspend the export of the fruit until it had security guarantees for its citizens. At that time, the decision generated a strong crisis among producers, to the point that Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla and US Ambassador Ken Salazar had to intervene to unblock the ban.
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