US gradually resumes avocado inspections in Michoacan and detained shipments are released
After a pause triggered by a security alert, the USDA is partially back at work; more than 1,000 detained tons began moving and Mexico's army deployed troops across the avocado belt.
The United States gradually resumed phytosanitary avocado inspections in Michoacan on August 8, after Mexico and Washington agreed to release more than 1,000 tons of fruit that had been held up by the temporary suspension of activities by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) personnel, the Mexican avocado producers and packers association APEAM reported.
The pause began midweek, when a security alert over threats against US officials and interests in Michoacan led the USDA to halt the work of its inspectors, who verify at authorized packing houses that the fruit meets sanitary requirements to enter the US market. Without that certification, shipments cannot cross the border.
According to APEAM, the partial resumption started in Tancitaro, Tacambaro, Uruapan and the corridor between Morelia and Patzcuaro, as part of a gradual process to restore full operations. Its director, Luis Javier de la Rocha, described the agreement as progress toward normalizing shipments, with about 9,000 tons ready to move after the release.
As part of the security commitments, Mexico's Defense Ministry deployed more than 1,500 troops across Michoacan's avocado belt, with permanent surveillance at packing houses, highways and phytosanitary certification points to prevent extortion.
Why it matters even far from Michoacan. Around 90 percent of Mexico's export avocados go to the United States, and the fruit is one of the country's top agri-food exports. This is not the first interruption of its kind: in February 2022 the USDA also temporarily suspended inspections after a threat against an inspector, and shipments resumed within days once security agreements were reached. When the export channel closes, more fruit stays in the domestic market and growers stop earning dollar income; when it reopens, the market tends to normalize. For consumers in Cancun —where avocados arrive mainly from Michoacan through wholesale markets— the reopening lowers the risk of sharp price swings in the coming weeks.
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