Mexico avocado export resumption after Michoacan agreement, Digi Mart USA News (Michoacan, Mexico): Mexico’s government said avocado harvesting and exports to all markets, including the United States, will resume this Thursday. The resumption follows an agreement between packing companies and workers to resolve a conflict caused by a collapse in fruit prices in Michoacan.
The pact was reached on Tuesday night.
Since October 23, Michoacan producers had suspended harvesting and blocked highways to demand that packers pay a better price per kilo. The price had fallen to between 13 and 20 pesos per kilo, a level that producers say does not cover basic production costs.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said the drop in prices was linked to international competition, as other countries have increased their avocado supply in foreign markets, pressuring the margins of producers and day laborers.
Mexico is the world’s largest avocado producer, and Michoacan accounts for about 75 percent of national production. In the last season, the state exported 1.25 million tons to the United States, its main buyer, and about 211 thousand tons to other markets.
Sheinbaum said the government is working with producers, harvest workers, agro-exporters and the United States to guarantee the continuity of exports and prices.
During the same period, the detection of the avocado seed borer in shipments from other states led to the destruction of about 52 tons of fruit. Agriculture Secretary Columba Lopez ruled out pest risks in export shipments and said that, in 28 years of international trade, Michoacan has not recorded any case of the seed borer in its orchards.
She said agro-export activity is resuming and that traceability is important for food safety.
Authorities clarified that recently circulated images corresponded to isolated cases in Jalisco and Nayarit, involving fruit destined for industrial oil processing or insects found outside packing facilities, and that this produce was not part of the export chain. The National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica) and local plant health boards said orchards in 50 pest-free municipalities remain registered, and they conduct random inspections covering 500 hectares each month.
