The Drug Cartel Controls the Avocado Industry

It's no secret that the drug cartel controls the avocado industry, it's mainstream news. Avocados from Mexico are completely controlled by the drug cartel. Even the President of Mexico is controlled by the drug cartel. Mexico is the largest producer of avocados in the world. Avocados are Mexico's second most valuable crop, behind corn, and Mexico supplies almost all of the United States avocado imports. So Mexico sets the industry standard for supply and demand to establish a price for avocados for the year and inevitably American avocado farmers are beholden to this industry pricing which really hurts American avocado farmers that are producing a much higher quality product with much higher operating costs.

"Avocado exports to the United States have soared 48% since 2019, according to U.S. trade data. The U.S. market accounts for about 80% of Mexico’s total avocado exports, data by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows, a trade worth $3 billion last year." Source

There is a world of difference in producing organic avocados in California compared to producing organic avocados in Mexico. In fact, it's so dangerous that U.S. inspectors have practically given up on even inspecting avocados from Mexico because they are forced to accept them at gunpoint no matter the quality. Avocados from Mexico essentially have little to no regulations compared to California avocado farmers. The Mexican avocado industry has a history of lobbying the US Government to lift import restrictions.

"One Madero farmer, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns for his safety, said he was was kidnapped after he protested deforestation. “If they only knew ... behind every avocado that people in the United States eat, there is a bloodstain, a dead person, a missing person,” he said." Source

2022
"In 2022, inspections were halted after one of the U.S. inspectors was threatened in the western state of Michoacan, where growers are routinely subject to extortion by drug cartels."
U.S. to hand over pest inspections of Mexican avocados to Mexico

2024
"The United States has halted inspections of avocados and mangoes in Mexico’s Michoacán state after two US Agriculture Department employees were attacked and detained."
Two US inspectors are attacked in Mexico while checking fresh shipment of avocados

"The swarm of organized crime comes as Mexico’s avocado industry has seen its value quadruple over the last decade, with the crop being the country’s second most valuable in 2022, according to Insight Crime." Source

The avocado industry thrives on exploitation because most people don't care who grows their avocados, where their avocados are grown, or even how their avocados are processed.

While American avocado growers may not be able to financially compete against cheap avocados from Mexico that are controlled by the drug cartel, but we can compete on a much better metric when it comes to the food you eat and that's the quality of avocados. California Avocados are the highest quality! Avocados from Mexico are cheaper because they are produced using cheap slave labor. Even Fair Trade standards are not fair in Mexico. Avocados from Mexico are cheaper because they have little to no regulations. 

It's really difficult to have the care and passion to produce high quality avocados in an industry that has such low standards and only cares about the money. In an industry that is so disconnected from the consumer, there is really no motive to change unless a farmer is selling direct to consumer, that is what changes everything, as then the farmer has a direct relationship with the consumer rather than the processor. That motivates farmers to produce the highest quality product and reap a higher price in order to provide living wages to farmworkers and invest in the long term sustainability of the farm.

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