US suspends import of avocado from Michoacán due to security incident

“We had a blockade on the Purépecha plateau in support of a group of Civil Guard police officers who demonstrated, there was an incident (…) and the export of avocado was suspended,” the source explained.

The USDA and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for information about the case.

Earlier on Monday, the governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez, told the press that they were already in talks with US officials to provide “guarantee” and “certainty” on the issue of exports, “not just avocados.”

In 2022, U.S. officials temporarily suspended avocado shipments from Michoacán, a state that has long suffered from gang violence problems, also citing security concerns faced by inspectors.