Employees of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture will return to the packing plants avocado from the state of Michoacán to continue with their work, reported the US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar.
The diplomat said in a statement that the return of the inspectors will be gradual, after the recent attacks against them.
“However, progress still needs to be made to ensure your safety before reaching full operation. In fact, more work still needs to be done so that APHIS inspectors are safe and can resume inspections and thus eliminate impediments to the trade of avocado and mango to the United States from Michoacán,” Salazar indicated.
“We are optimistic that this matter is going in a positive direction, but we will not be satisfied until APHIS inspectors can continue their work free of threats to their safety,” the diplomat added.
What is happening with the export of avocado to the US?
On June 15, the United States Government decided to temporarily suspend imports of avocado produced in Michoacán. This after a second incident was recorded against inspectors from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) during a blockade.
According to versions, The incident occurred on Friday, June 14when two American inspectors were detained during a demonstration in the community of Aranza, in the municipality of Paracho, about 35 kilometers north of the city of Uruapan.
Due to this, the United States Embassy in Mexico activated a security protocol, which includes the temporary suspension of imports, a measure that, according to the Association of Avocado Producers and Exporters Packers of Mexico (APEAM), could be extended up to two weeks.
“We recognize that this remains a challenge that we hope to advance through Monday’s meetings with the authorities of the Government of Mexico and Michoacán, FESGWE, the APEAM” and other relevant actors,” Salazar said.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised that there will be protection for United States agricultural inspectors in Michoacán against threats and attacks by organized crime.
Avocado from Mexican producers is the leader in production and export worldwide with 1.68 million tons annually, with the states of Michoacán and Jalisco as the main exporters.
Salazar meets with Alejandro Gertz Manero
Salazar and the head of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of Mexico, Alejandro Gertz Manero, met this Friday to talk about security, health and well-being issues between both nations.
The meeting, described as “productive” by Salazar, was also attended by prosecutors from several states in the country.
The American diplomat noted in a message on the X social network that it was a “productive meeting” in which they talked about “shared successes and challenges to strengthen justice.” They also discussed the “well-being, health and security” of both countries.
For Gertz Manero it was one of the few appearances that he has had and that have been made public in his management at the head of the FGR.
