As the industry waits to find out more about how big of an impact the suspension of all imports of Mexican avocados to the U.S. will be, the industry carefully contemplates what to do next.
The decision to ban the imports indefinitely was announced late Saturday following news that a U.S. plant safety inspector in Mexico was threatened.
“I think the decision is a right one. We need to guarantee the safety of all who work in the avocado industry,” says Gary Clevenger of Freska Produce International, LLC based in Oxnard, CA. “Not sure how long this will last but it’s going to put a bump in the supply side for a while. This could have longer term effects if people decide not to buy Mexican avocados at both a retail buyer or consumer level, so it will be good for other importing countries coming to the U.S. Hopefully everybody gets their act back together and Mexico allows for the flow of avocados again. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
Colombia, Peru, California and more
The decision of course could put pressure on (or leaves opportunity for) other avocado growing regions. “At the end of the day, this may shed some light on some of the challenges in Mexico and open the door for Colombia avocados,” says Dan Acevedo of GreenFruit Avocados based in Newport Beach, CA.
At Mission Produce based in Oxnard, CA, Denise Junqueiro says Mission is assessing the situation regarding the suspension and doing what it can to mitigate the impact as much as possible. “This includes tapping into our global network of growers and suppliers to unlock additional volume for our customers,” she says. “Situations like this highlight the importance of our vertical integration in Peru and why we continue to strategically expand our owned production in countries like Colombia and other emerging regions.”
And at the California Avocado Commission, it too remains on watch for developments. “It is not known how long this situation will last so it is too early to predict what the impact will be on the timing of the California avocado harvest this season,” says Ken Melban, vice-president industry affairs for the California Avocado Commission based in Irvine, CA.
He does note that following nice rains in December and early January, some California avocado growers have started picking earlier than they usually do in time for the Super Bowl. “They may continue to do so depending on market demand. Typically, there is a short lull in consumer demand for avocados immediately following the game and then the California avocado season ramps up beginning in March,” he says.
