The avocado has caused a hype rarely seen in recent decades.
The burden of the rising demand lies mainly on the Mexican state of Michoacan. There, forests are being illegally cleared by fire to plant avocado plantations. The high inter- national demand has led to more extensive and numerous plantations. Over 300,000 jobs directly or indirectly depend on the production and trade of avocados in the region, which generates annual reve- nues of $2.5 billion. In 2021 Michoacán alone produced some 1.8 million tons of the green fruit.
In the ongoing drug war, the cartels have become drawn to the revenue potential from the avocado trade. Protection rackets and the overall presence of the cartels have put enormous pressure on what was until recently Mexico‘s only state with an export license. With escalating violence, the government has had to send in the military to maintain order. In mid-2022, ex- ports to the United States, the largest consumer of the fruit, had to be temporarily halted. Consumers where more concern about a guacamole shortage for their Super Bowl party then the alarming conections and ramifications of such an insolent.
the economic significans are so great then in less then 10 days Us and Mexican officals had the issue solved miraculously. Even though the situation in the state is widely known, the world wide hunger for the green gold has surpassed the supply and a real change is not in sight.