HOLY GUACAMOLE! U.S. HALTS IMPORTATION OF MEXICAN AVOCADOS AFTER INSPECTOR THREATENED

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: CC via Bing

February 14, 2022 (San Diego) – Your next batch of guacamole may cost a whole lot more.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned imports of Mexican avocados, in response to a threat made to an agriculture inspector.

The inspector was based in Michoachan, the only Mexican state currently allowed to export avocados to the U.S., after stringent inspections for agricultural pests.  But Michoachan has also become a hotbed for warring drug cartels and criminal gangs, National Public Radio reports.

Those cartels have been extorting money from avocado farmers, packers and truckers, according to NPR.

After the American inspector received a threat on his official phone, the U.S. shut down imports.  The USDA is taking the threat seriously, following the murder of an inspector in Mexico in 2020 after an earlier threat, AP reports.

While the action puts the squeeze on U.S. consumers, the greatest harm comes to Mexican farmers. Mexico exports around $3 billion in avocados each year, AP reports, and according to Gov Exec Daily, 80% of those exported avocados are sold in the U.S.

The ban came on the eve of yesterday’s Super Bowl Sunday, one of the biggest days of the year for avocado consumption. The next is Cinco de Mayo, just two and a half months away.

The U.S. embassy in Mexico tweeted that it is working with the Mexican government to “guarantee security conditions that allow for our personnel in Michoacan to resume operations.

The ban is in place “until further notice,” according to the USDA, though the Mexican growers’ association has issued a press release voicing hope that exports can resume within days.

But any such resumption will likely not include Michoachan due to the dangers there.

According to Gov Exec Daily, the U.S. is making plans to allow exports from a different Mexican state, Jalisco; the Mexican government reportedly anticipates the first shipments will begin later this year. 

Meanwhile, consumers can expect potential shortages and higher prices for American-grown avocados, a crop so lucrative it’s often called “green gold.”