The United States ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar announced this Monday, June 24, that the commercial veto against Michoacan avocado and mango will be lifted.
In this regard, the governor of Michoacán, Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, confirmed today that the northern border will reopen for these fruits.
However, the condition of the United States government was to reinforce security for agricultural inspectors who work in “green gold” producing regions.
Ken Salazar recognized the willingness of the Mexican authorities to implement more efficient and permanent schemes to guarantee the safety of employees of American origin. Later, the ambassador said that he will continue working on environmental and labor issues in favor of the workers.
Prior to the meeting with the media, the diplomat stressed that if the security agreement is complied with, there will be no pause in the expiration dates of avocado and mango.
In addition, he held the producers co-responsible and avocado exporters regarding safety.
Given this, Governor Alfredo Ramírez affirmed that the reactivation of exports confirms the good bilateral relationship after ensuring that there is closeness with the United States ambassador in Mexico.
For this reason, he highlighted that the work teams, both from the Biden government and López Obrador, joined forces to reach points of conscience.
Why did the US pause exports of Mexican avocado?
According to a statement from APEAM, it was an unrelated incident that led to the pause in exports, as a spokesperson for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) explained by email that the decision was made because they are concerned about the safety of their staff.
It was detailed that the inspectors were attacked and temporarily detained while carrying out their inspection work in the entity, although they were later released. “They are no longer in captivity,” authorities said.
He also detailed that the export and inspection of avocado will resume when the security situation is reviewed and safeguards are established for personnel.
