"When criminal organizations can extort growers, control the supply chain, and promote volume surges in the US market to promote their own illicit financial interests, American farmers are left competing in a market shaped by forces far outside normal agricultural competition."
The California Avocado Commission said a new Los Angeles Times report detailing pervasive violence and intimidation in Mexico’s major avocado-producing region underscores the urgent need for USMCA import limits on Mexican avocados to protect US growers, safeguard the U.S. food supply and prevent criminal organizations from destroying a vitally important sector of American agriculture.
The Times report, “Avocados were a lifeline — and then a bitter fruit,” chronicles the experience of families in San Ángel Zurumucapio, Michoacán, where avocado production brought new economic opportunity but where growers have also faced extortion, kidnappings and violence. Residents ultimately organized armed self-defense groups to protect their community.
“The human toll described by the Los Angeles Times is heartbreaking, and Mexican farmers being threatened, extorted, or caught in cartel violence deserve our sympathy and support. California growers should not have to compete against a Mexican avocado supply chain exploited by cartels that can distort markets and undermine U.S. production,” said Ken Melban, president of the California Avocado Commission. “When criminal organizations can extort growers and influence the supply chain, American farmers are left competing in a market shaped by forces far outside normal agricultural competition. That’s why CAC is calling for a seasonal TRQ, to keep trade open while protecting American growers from market-disrupting import surges during our harvest season.”
Read the article here: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-09-06/for-one-small-mexican-town-avocados-were-blessing-curse