The U.S. resumed avocado imports from Mexico on Friday, one week after suspending them.
U.S. regulators inspect avocados in Mexico to make sure the fruits don’t spread diseases to avocados grown in the U.S. But on Feb. 11, a U.S. inspector in the Mexican state of Michoacán received death threats.
In response, the U.S. quickly stopped inspections and cut off imports. But following a week of cooperation from several authorities on both sides of the border, avocados are once again flowing from south to north.
“I thank (Mexican authorities) for working with my security colleagues in the U.S. Embassy to enact the measures that ensure the safety of our APHIS inspectors in the field,” U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement, referencing the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
According to the USDA, about 80% of Mexican avocado exports go to the U.S., and the U.S. gets more than 90% of its avocado imports from Mexico.
All that production comes from a single Mexican state. The U.S. allows only avocados from Michoacán to cross the border, as they’re the only certified pest-free avocados in Mexico. Farmers in the region are often terrorized and extorted by drug cartels.
In September 2020, Edgar Flores Santos, a Mexican employee working for APHIS, was shot and killed after traffickers thought he was a police officer.
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