Mexico's avocado boom benefits rural farmers -- but also organized crime

[Judi Lynn]

The fruit's explosive success as an export is breaking decades of uneasy detente between growers and narcos

By Leigh Thelmadatter
Published on Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Armed avocado farmers have recently made their way into the news again, for challenging not only the cartels that threaten their livelihoods but also the federal government’s unwillingness to do much more than plead with them to lay down their weapons.

Mexico’s “green gold” is the main point of contention, but rural people taking the law into their own hands when the government is absent or impotent is nothing new in Mexico’s history.

Native to Mexico, avocados have been an important crop since before the Spanish arrived. But today, with the very shippable Hass variety, Mexico now exports 2.1 million tonnes of the fruit each year, providing 70% of the world’s supply.

It is the most important food export after beer, worth US $3.1 billion. Mexico ships to 64 countries around the world, but by far, most avocados grown here go to the United States, which has developed a ravenous appetite for guacamole, especially during Super Bowl week.

More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolife/avocado-boom-benefits-rural-farmers-and-organized-crime/

[flying_wahini]

1. Don't forget avocado toast with Campari tomatoes 🍅 chopped with a bit of salt and pepper.