Overview
- The U.S. announced a temporary halt to government operations in Michoacán on Wednesday, stopping USDA inspectors from approving avocados for export to the United States.
- Mexico’s avocado producers association said only fruit received in the presence of a USDA official on Tuesday may be processed and no new export shipments were authorized during the suspension.
- Authorities arrested Alfonso Fernández Magallón, known as “El Poncho,” in an extortion probe that officials linked to the security alert, and the U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for his capture.
- Michoacán deployed about 300 security personnel to the Los Reyes area as a precaution and officials reported no confirmed attacks on U.S. inspectors while Mexican and U.S. authorities coordinate to restore safe operations.
- Michoacán supplies roughly 80 to 90 percent of U.S. avocado imports and the pause threatens growers’ income and could cause short-term shipment delays or higher U.S. prices if inspections do not resume quickly.