After the incident of US plant safety inspector receiving a threat, US Government suspends Mexican avocado imports. However, this suspension is temporary, confirmed late on Saturday on the eve of Superbowl.
Suspension of Mexican Avocado Imports
The eve of the Superbowl is probably the biggest sales opportunity for the Mexican Avocado growers. But this suspension would barely affect the game-day consumption as those to be traded had already been shipped.
The current victims of the drug cartel turf battles are Avocado experts. Also exposed to the extortion of Avocado growers in the western state of Michoacan, the state which is wholly authorized to export to the US market.
Mexico’s Agriculture Department stated that the US Government would suspend all imports of Mexican Avocados until further notice, following the threat a US plant safely inspector in Mexico received. According to the department, this decision was put into action after one of their officials received a threatening message on their cellphone while carrying out inspections in Uruapan, Michoacan.
Mexican Avocado Imports: An insight
The suspension was announced late on Saturday, as the prices surged due to the eve of the Superbowl. It hit high records a few weeks prior to the eve. The increase in prices was a result of higher production costs, a labor crunch, and a supply chain logjam. The prices of these avocados saw a 60% surge since last year.
According to USDA, the production of avocados is expected to be 8% lower than that of 2021. In the year 2020, Mexico exported almost $3 billion worth of avocados. Most of which, 80% of the country’s shipments go to the US.
According to the AP, to ensure the shipments that reach the US don’t carry diseases that could affect American avocado crops, US inspectors carry out inspections of the fruits in Mexico. According to a Bloomberg translation, the Mexican agriculture ministry said that the USDA is assessing the security threat.
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