U.S. Suspends Michoacán Avocado Inspections and Halts Shipments Starting August 5
The pause of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) leaves fruit packed since August 5 out of the U.S. market and pressures avocado prices at home.
The U.S. government, through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS-USDA), temporarily suspended the verification work of its inspectors at avocado orchards and packing plants in Michoacán starting August 5, following a security incident that —according to the U.S. agency— compromised the safety of two of its field officers.
The Association of Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers of Mexico (APEAM) confirmed the measure to its members through circular DG/GVS/437/2026, which specifies that only fruit received at packing plants before August 5 can be processed while the suspension holds; shipments arriving during the suspension can be unloaded but cannot be processed or certified for export to the U.S. market.
Michoacán is the only Mexican state with year-round phytosanitary approval to export Hass avocado to the United States —Jalisco was added in 2022 under a separate scheme— and together they ship more than 1.3 million tons a year to that destination, worth over 2.7 billion dollars annually. The U.S. market accounts for about 87 percent of Mexico's avocado exports.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader) and the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) are meeting with APEAM to arrange a protection scheme that allows U.S. personnel to return to certification duties. No official resumption date has been announced.
What it means for consumers in Cancún. When the export window to the United States closes, fruit that was bound for the North American market is redirected to the domestic market, usually producing a temporary drop in avocado prices at Mexican wholesale markets. The opposite —a price hike— tends to happen when the suspension drags on: packing plants stop, growers halt harvesting and domestic supply tightens. Previous suspensions —February 2022 and June 2024— lasted 5 to 15 days and showed that pattern. Prices at Cancún's Mercado 23 and at Mérida's central wholesale market, the main supplier for northern Quintana Roo, are worth watching over the next 72 hours.
Alternatives and official prices. Official wholesale prices for avocado and other perishables are published daily by the Ministry of Economy's National System of Market Information (SNIIM) at economia-sniim.gob.mx. As substitutes with more stable prices at this time of year, shoppers can look at native (criollo) avocado varieties or spreads made from chickpea, bean or coconut, all widely available in local shops.
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