Feb 18, 2022 - World

U.S. resumes avocado imports from Mexico

Jacob Knutson

Avocados for sale at a market in Mexico City on Feb. 15. Photo: Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. resumed avocado imports from Mexico after suspending them last week after a U.S. inspector in Mexico was threatened, the Department of Agriculture announced Friday.

Why it matters: Drug cartels regularly extort avocado growers in the state of Michoacan, where the inspection and threat occurred, though almost 80% of the avocados grown there went to U.S. markets in 2020 and 2021.

What they're saying: "The safety of USDA employees simply doing their jobs is of paramount importance," the department said.

It added that Mexican organizations implemented new measures to increase safety for U.S. inspectors working in the field.

The big picture: More than 90% of the U.S.' avocado imports came from Mexico in 2021, or roughly 1.1 million metric tons worth $2.8 billion.

Michoacan is the only state in Mexico fully authorized to export avocados to the U.S., so the temporary suspension effectively amounted to a pause on all imports of Mexican avocados.

Go deeper: U.S. embassy in Mexico "dismayed" over deadly attacks against journalists

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U.S. resumes avocado imports from Mexico

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