US agrees to let Mexican inspectors monitor avocado exports

The Mexican government announced on Monday that the United States has approved the authorization of the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) to conduct inspections to certify avocado plantations whose crops are destined for export to the United States.

This deal comes just three months after US government resumes avocado inspections after a 10-day suspension.

Mexican Agriculture Minister Victor Villalobos stands behind a podium speaking to the press, flanked by three other men, including U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, to Villalobos' right.Mexican Agriculture Minister Victor Villalobos stands behind a podium speaking to the press, flanked by three other men, including U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, to Villalobos' right.
In June, Agriculture Minister Victor Villalobos, at the podium, holds a press conference with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, to Villalobos’ right, to announce the lifting of a 10-day suspension of Mexican avocado exports to the U.S. prompted by threats against USDA staff in Michocán. (Government of Mexico)

The suspension came after two U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors were threatened while on patrol in Michoacán, one of only two Mexican states authorized to export avocados to the U.S. The other is neighboring Jalisco.

Mexican inspectors will now be tasked with overseeing participating orchards and ensuring the absence of invasive pests during harvesting and packaging procedures.

Officials at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), were tasked with working with Senasica, the Mexican agency that protects agricultural, aquaculture, and livestock resources from pests and diseases, to establish an annual farm inspection program.

The ruling acknowledges that Mexican avocado exporters have been in compliance with APHIS regulations since they were enacted in 1997, during which time there have been no unaddressed pest or phytosanitary issues.

Over the past 27 years, producers, packers and exporters have efficiently addressed any and all issues related to pest invasions, implemented adequate quarantines where available and cooperated fully with APHIS personnel, according to the news magazine Expansión.

APHIS personnel will continue to manage the farm inspection process but will not be required to do so from Mexico. Additionally, APHIS and Senasica will be jointly responsible for overseeing the packaging process for avocados exported to the United States.

Female workers are preparing avocados for delivery.Female workers are preparing avocados for delivery.
Agricultural products, such as avocados, are one of Mexico's main exports to the United States. (Cuartoscuro)

Announcing the deal, Sader said the transfer of responsibilities to Senasica “strengthens cooperative efforts to promote a bilateral agenda that facilitates flexible and secure trade.”

It remains to be seen how U.S. avocado producers will react to the ruling. In July, the California Avocado Commission demanded that the USDA continue to directly oversee the harvesting and packing of Hass avocados destined for the U.S. market from Mexico.

Ken Melban, an official with the California Avocado Commission, warned against jeopardizing the economic interests of U.S. farmers who rely on strict oversight, saying the threat of invasive pests is a critical issue.

“With continuing reports of corruption and violence in Mexico, including in areas authorized to export avocados to the U.S., it is inconceivable that the U.S. government would consider relinquishing inspection responsibilities to Mexico,” Melban said, according to Mexico Business News.

In the past 10 years, Mexico has exported about 11 million tons of avocados to the United States without a single pest-related violation.

Mexico is the world’s number one avocado producer, producing 2.5 million tons annually. In addition to supplying the domestic market, Mexican avocado growers—primarily in the states of Michoacán, Jalisco, México, Nayarit, Morelos, and Puebla—export more than 1.1 million tons of the fruit annually worldwide.

In addition to the United States, Mexican avocados are exported to Canada, Japan, Spain, El Salvador, the Netherlands and China.

With reports from ExpansionIndonesian: Mexico Business News And The Universal

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