U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors continue to work in avocado fields in Mexico, after one inspector was “directly threatened” there this summer.
Mexico supplies most of the avocados imported into the United States. And as a part of the trade of Hass avocados, USDA employees carry out inspections in the southern state of Michoacán where those avocados are grown.
Avocado consumption in the U.S. will likely continue to grow, and Mexico will likely continue to be a key supplier, said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue during a visit to Mexico City this week.
“It’s almost like there can’t be a Super Bowl without avocados and guacamole,” Perdue said.
In August, the USDA said a team of inspectors was threatened in the town of Ziracuaretiro in Michoacan, the Associated Press reported. A U.S. Embassy spokesperson said this week that while inspections were suspended in one orchard, inspectors continue to operate in Mexico.
