Mexico avocado ban: Will there be shortages, higher prices? | JUST THE FAQS

Avocado imports from Mexico to the U.S. have been suspended. Here's how it could affect prices and shortages to come.

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The inspections were halted last week after one of the U.S. inspectors was threatened in the western state of Michoacan, where growers are routinely subject to extortion by drug cartels.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday that the inspector had received a threat “against him and his family.” It said the inspector had “questioned the integrity of a certain shipment, and refused to certify it based on concrete issues.”

Michoacan is the only Mexican state certified as pest-free and able to export avocados to the U.S. market. There have been frequent reports that some packers in Mexico are buying avocados from other, non-certified states, and trying to pass them off as being from Michoacan.

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