Small avocado growers’ strike cuts Mexican exports to the United States

Small avocado growers in Michoacán are striking because they receive only about 13 pesos per kilogram while avocados sell for much more abroad. They say farm workers’ living conditions have worsened and that growers bear most production risks without receiving a fair share of profits. Their demand is up to 45 pesos per kilogram.

The Union of Small Producers of Michoacán called the action. Growers stopped harvesting and occupied or blocked several Local Plant Health Boards. These sites handle inspections needed before avocados can be exported. Their protest also includes demands for higher wages for avocado pickers and labor protections.

The dispute has already disrupted shipments. Of 1,100 containers scheduled for the United States, only about 600 were expected to travel after two days without harvesting. Growers and buyers had not reached an agreement by Tuesday afternoon, leaving producers exposed to lost income and unsold fruit.

Local Plant Health Boards, known as JLSV, are responsible for phytosanitary inspections required for avocado exports. These checks are part of the process that allows shipments to leave Mexico. The boards therefore connect farm production with international market access.

Michoacán growers have set up roadblocks and peaceful occupations at several boards. When harvesting stops and inspection work is disrupted, packed avocados cannot move normally through the export system. The protest targets a critical checkpoint rather than only a farm or warehouse. This gives the action wider effects across the supply chain.

The impact was visible in the shipment schedule. Of 1,100 containers originally expected to reach the U.S. border that week, only about 600 were expected to make the journey. The article does not say every delayed container was stopped directly at a board, but the occupations and halted harvesting contributed to the broader disruption.

The strike has cut expected shipments to the United States by nearly half. Two consecutive days without harvesting meant that only about 600 containers were expected to reach the border, compared with 1,100 containers originally scheduled. That is a reduction of roughly 500 containers, or about 45% of the planned shipment volume.

The disruption began after small growers stopped harvesting and protested at Local Plant Health Boards. Those boards handle phytosanitary inspections required for exports. Without harvested fruit and the normal inspection process, containers cannot move through the export chain as planned. Growers and buyers were still negotiating when the figures were reported.

The reduction matters because the United States accounts for 99% of Michoacán growers’ market. Mexico had exported 501,824 metric tons to the United States during the first four months of the year, after shipments rose 35%. A prolonged stoppage could therefore affect a major commercial flow.

A prolonged disruption would leave growers with fruit they cannot sell quickly, creating the risk of lost income and unsold produce. U.S. buyers could face fewer Mexican avocados for guacamole and other products. The United States buys about $3.65 billion worth of avocados each year, so the effects could reach a large food market.

The immediate mechanism is reduced supply. Harvesting has stopped in parts of Michoacán, and expected containers fell from 1,100 to about 600. If demand remains strong while fewer avocados arrive, buyers may compete more intensely for available fruit. That can put upward pressure on prices, although the article does not provide a forecast or specific price increase.

Importers may also turn to Ecuador, Colombia or Peru, according to grower Valentín Rodríguez. That could weaken Mexico’s position if customers establish alternative supply channels. For Michoacán growers, the danger is especially sharp because the United States represents 99% of their market.

Michoacán growers are especially dependent on the United States because it accounts for 99% of their market. The United States also buys about $3.65 billion worth of avocados annually and is the world’s second-largest avocado consumer. A disruption in that market therefore threatens the main outlet for Michoacán’s harvest.

Growers say they receive roughly 13 pesos per kilogram, even while Mexican avocados continue selling at high prices abroad. They argue that intermediaries, distributors and exporters capture most of the profits between farms and consumers. These middle layers buy, pack, market and move the fruit, while growers absorb pests, drought, fertilizer costs and labor expenses.

This concentration makes producers vulnerable to lost income and unsold fruit when U.S. shipments stop. It also gives alternative suppliers leverage. Rodríguez warned that U.S. buyers could turn to Ecuador, Colombia or Peru if Mexico cannot maintain supply, potentially reducing growers’ bargaining power over time.

Ecuador, Colombia and Peru could supply more avocados to U.S. buyers if Mexico’s disruption continues. Grower Valentín Rodríguez specifically warned that the U.S. could turn to those countries when Mexican shipments fall. The article presents them as competing sources, not as confirmed replacement markets.

Diversifying export markets would spread growers’ sales across more destinations. In principle, that would reduce the damage caused by a stoppage in one country. It could also give producers more bargaining options when negotiating with packing houses, distributors and exporters. The article does not identify specific new markets or say that diversification has already occurred.

For now, Michoacán remains heavily concentrated in the United States, which takes 99% of its market. That concentration makes producers vulnerable to strikes, security problems and inspection disruptions. Rodríguez said the current action may send the wrong signal to consumers and major U.S. importers, who could develop stronger relationships with competing suppliers.

Supply and demand shape the price farmers receive. When buyers want more fruit than producers can provide, prices tend to rise. When supply is plentiful or buyers have alternatives, prices can weaken. Farmers must also cover production costs and risks, so a low selling price may not provide a viable return even when consumers pay more.

Michoacán growers list pests, drought, labor and rising fertilizer costs among the risks they face. These pressures can reduce harvests or raise the cost of producing each kilogram. Growers say they receive about 13 pesos, while demanding up to 45 pesos because they believe the current payment does not fairly reflect those burdens. Intermediaries and distributors are accused of taking much of the trade’s gains.

The article also gives a supply warning. Halting harvests reduced expected containers from 1,100 to about 600. Rodríguez argues that pressure tactics cannot control prices by themselves, because prices respond to broader supply-and-demand dynamics and buyers can seek avocados elsewhere.