Avocado pickers in Mexico are back to work after authorities announced the lifting of a US security alert that temporarily halted avocado exports. The alert, which was lifted after eight days, affected Michoacán state, a region where four cartels operate.

Impact on Avocado Industry

The US alert caught many avocado pickers, including Francisco Isidro, off guard. Isidro, a 39-year-old harvester with two decades of experience, was working in an orchard in Santa Ana Zirosto when the alert was issued. He knew that the alert meant either looking for another job or supporting his family solely on his wife’s income from a small store.

The avocado industry in Michoacán is a significant source of employment, with over 200,000 people working in the sector. The industry is also a major contributor to the state’s economy, with Mexico shipping nearly 4,800 tons of avocados to the US daily.

Some growers have come to consider extortion an unavoidable production cost. A producer from Michoacán pays 1 peso per kilo exported in extortion fees, which amounts to over $5,000 in daily payments.

Security Concerns

Despite the resumption of avocado exports, security concerns remain. Trucks loaded with avocados are sometimes robbed on roads in western Michoacán, and farmworkers have been stopped and beaten by armed men near the border with Jalisco.

US inspectors have been assaulted and temporarily detained in the past, triggering similar export suspensions. The inspectors now have a reduced presence in the orchards and concentrate on packing plants.

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.