The United States will partially resume avocado inspections in Mexico’s Michoacán state, restoring some operations that were suspended over security threats in the country’s top avocado-producing region.
The U.S. Embassy said Friday that official activities would resume Saturday in some towns in Michoacán, citing commitments from the Mexican government, security measures implemented by state authorities, and ongoing on-the-ground reviews.
The embassy did not say when a full resumption of U.S. activities will take place, but said officials would continue to evaluate security conditions and adjust operations as appropriate.
The United States suspended government activities in Michoacán on Wednesday over what it called a “threat to U.S. interests.” The move halted inspections required for avocados from Mexico’s main producing region to be cleared for export to the United States.
While the U.S. State Department provided few details about the threat, Michoacán Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla described the suspension as a “preventive” measure following several high-profile arrests by Mexican authorities of suspected criminals accused of extortion.
The Mexican government responded by deploying more military forces to the state.
Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense said on Thursday that 1,500 personnel—including 657 members of the National Guard and 900 Army troops—would join security operations in Michoacán.
The additional forces will patrol and conduct ground reconnaissance in some of the state’s most volatile municipalities, according to the agency. They will provide escorts and surveillance around inspection points and deter extortion targeting avocado producers.
“Efforts will continue to decisively contribute to dismantling criminal organizations by capturing their leaders and other individuals driving violence in the state of Michoacán,” the agency said.
Michoacán’s avocado growers, packers, and transporters have faced demands to pay extortion fees to organized crime groups or risk violence. Some criminal organizations have also established their own avocado-growing operations.
U.S. inspectors working in Michoacán, whose job is to make sure exported avocados don’t carry pests or diseases that could hurt U.S. crops, have also faced security threats.
In 2024, the United States temporarily suspended avocado inspections in Michoacán after two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees were assaulted and briefly held by assailants. A similar suspension occurred in 2022 after a U.S. inspector received a threatening phone call.
In both cases, inspections and avocado exports resumed within days.
Mexico supplies roughly 90 percent of U.S. avocado imports, according to the USDA. Last year, U.S. avocado imports totaled nearly $4 billion, and the country is expected to import a record 2.8 million metric tons of avocados this year.
