The United States suspends its imports of avocados, the hard core of the Mexican economy – Liberation

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–US authorities have suspended imports of “green gold” after one of their inspectors was threatened. The measure could prove disastrous for the country’s economy and for farmers in the state of Michoacán.–

All it took was a simple phone call to draw a line, until further notice, on a trade of around 3 billion euros a year. A United States official responsible for health inspections in the Mexican state of Michoacán received an anonymous and threatening call last week while he was in the city of Uruapán. No information has filtered on the content of these threats, but for Washington, it is a declaration of war which justifies the withdrawal of the thirty inspectors who verify compliance with the phytosanitary standards required to export the product. Consequence: no more avocado produced in Michoacán, the only region of Mexico authorized by its neighbor to sell avocados, enters American territory. In principle, the time to assess the risks incurred by civil servants and to ensure their protection.

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The news, announced on Saturday by a press release from the Mexican Secretariat for Agriculture, will have a significant economic impact. Because 90% of the avocados consumed in the United States come from Michoacán, where they provide 300,000 jobs. Revenue for 2020 was around $3.5 billion. “Green Gold” is the third food product…

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