The United States announced on Friday that it will partially resume inspections of avocado producers in Mexico’s Michoacan state, two days after suspending imports of the fruit over security concerns. Michoacan is a hotspot of fighting between crime gangs, which have diversified into extorting agricultural interests. It is standard protocol for U.S. authorities to inspect avocado orchards and packing facilities in Mexico. The U.S. embassy in Mexico said inspections will resume in some avocado-growing areas of Michoacan as of Saturday, but did not specify if shipments would also restart. The decision was made following “commitments by the Mexican government,” security measures implemented in the state and its “ongoing evaluations of conditions on the ground,” it said in a statement. On Wednesday, the diplomatic mission said it had suspended all activities in Michoacan since Aug. 5 following a “threat against U.S. interests.” Mexican authorities announced a day later that Michoacan’s security would be reinforced, with the army deploying 1,500 troops to producing areas, packing centers and agricultural inspection points. In 2024, avocado shipments were temporarily suspended after two inspectors were assaulted and temporarily detained in the state. Michoacan, about the size of Costa Rica, produces some two million tons of avocados annually, and is also a major exporter of limes. The biggest avocado shipping season is before the Super Bowl in February, and this year producers from Michoacan and its neighbor Jalisco shipped a record 127,000 tons. Relations between Mexico and the United States have been strained. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Mexico is run by cartels and threatened to send in the military to fight criminal groups -- a possibility rejected by Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum.
