Mexican president seeks diplomatic solution to avocado inspection halt 

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said June 19 that he asked his foreign ministry to speak with U.S. officials about resuming avocado and mango inspections to get shipments going again. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended avocado and mango inspections last weekend “until further notice,” due to “security concerns,” after two inspectors were illegally detained in Michoacán and later freed. 

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said the suspension would remain in place until security concerns are resolved. 

Reuters spoke with avocado producers who were critical of the Mexican government’s handling of the situation. 

Fernando Cruz, partner and director of Farming Markets Consulting Group, told Reuters, “The United States embassy is doing well by applying pressure. I think the Mexican government should think about the security protocols they committed to two years ago. The federal government is not complying with them, nor is the Michoacán state government, and they should be more interested in generating foreign currency and helping to develop the Mexican fields.” 

In 2022, the USDA paused inspections in Michoacán and suspended imports when an inspector reportedly received a threatening call to his official mobile phone. In this case, the stoppage lasted about a week.