Mexican President Starts Bizarre Avocado War Against America

A bizarre, but very real, avocado war has broken out between the United States and Mexico. It’s rapidly escalating and reaching the highest government echelons, as Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Mexican president, just attacked the US.

The avocado war emerged after the US banned avocado imports from Mexico in reaction to an American food inspector getting threatened by a Mexican drug cartel.

Mexican President Sees Biden-led Conspiracy

The incident occurred in the Mexican state of Michoacan, the biggest exporter of avocados in the world. Michoacan is heavily controlled by extremely violent criminal cartels, such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC).

JNGC is extremely dangerous and appears to have been working with Islamist terrorists from the Middle East, such as al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Mexico’s President Lopez Obrador has now resorted to forceful, but unsubstantiated, accusations against the US, claiming the banning of Mexican avocado imports is actually Biden’s conspiracy in favor of American farmers because Mexican produce is superior.

A total of 80% of all avocados that are sold in the United States come from Michoacan; it is the only Mexican state presently allowed to sell the fruit to America.

The arrangement has been in place since 1997; it is due to the fact the state’s produce is certified as free of pests that could be harmful to US farmers.

Since the start of 2022 alone, Michoacan sent over 135,000 tons of avocados to the United States, according to the Mexican government.

The targeted US inspector last week blocked a shipment of US-bound avocados in Michoacan after he found it contained produce that was from a different Mexican state.

The US food inspector in question was threatened by someone from Jalisco when he found the shipment of avocados due to go to the US had produce from outside Michoacan.

US Avocado Prices Have Already Skyrocketed

For the time being, the US government hasn’t given details about the threats against the American inspector or said when it might lift the avocado import ban introduced on February 11.

If the avocado war raging between the United States and Mexico lasts for more than two weeks, there will be an “avocado crisis” since America’s existing stock is going to run out without new imports.

According to Steve Taft, who is the head of California’s Eco Farms, avocado prices in the US might spike by 25%. The price of a 9 kg box of avocados has already doubled, compared with last year, reaching $26.23.

At the same time, the retail price of a single avocado fruit has grown to reach $2.50, while last month it was $1.24m, and $0.99 in January 2021.

Mexico produces about 1.5 million tons of avocado per year; the US production, centered in California and Florida, is 188,000 tons.

The Dominican Republic is another major global producer, the second largest after Mexico. Yet, right now, only 1% of America’s avocado imports comes from there; most of its produce is domestically consumed.

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