Avocado passion

A group of California avocado leaders, plus officials from USDA and CDFA are going to Mexico tomorrow to discuss circumstances surrounding the detection of the scale "Hemiberlesia neodiffinis" on Mexican avocados by state inspectors. Unlike the CDFA, federal plant health officials at this point don't consider the pest subject to quarantine action.

I just tried calling the California Avocado Commission today but all government and commission offices were closed because of Presidents' Day.

From a discussion with Mexican avocado interests today, here is what I heard.
1. The scale is not a quarantine pest. It is present in many U.S. states, so there is no reason that the USDA APHIS would consider it a quarantine pest.
"This is not a new and exotic quarantine pest but a pest that has always occurred in the United States and may possibly occur in California," one Mexican avocado advocate said.
2. Mexican avocado interests believe California growers are forcing the California Avocado Commission to pressure USDA to consider the pest a quarantine pest.
3. How will it play out? Mexican avocado advocates hope USDA APHIS officials will bring CDFA officials into line.


For the California perspective, see the link here.

TK: Since Mexican avocados have had access to California on Feb. 1, what has the market done? On Feb. 16, the USDA market news quoted Mexican 70s at $19 per carton and California 70s at $16-18 per carton at the Los Angeles terminal market. Also at the market, California hass 60s were $34-35 per carton on Jan. 31 compared with $18-24 per carton on Feb. 16.