Avocado redemption

Press reports from Mexico reveal glee by avocado growers that they finally have access now to all 50 states. From the USDA FAS is this Mexican press report:

After more than two years of waiting, on February 1, 2007, the United States finally allowed Mexican avocado growers to export their product to all 50 states including California, Florida and Hawaii. The three states had been exempted when the U.S. Department of Agriculture first brokered a deal back in January 2005 that allowed Mexican avocados to enter the United States all year-round. The ruling will mean a 25-percent increase in U.S. exports for the nation’s avocado farmers and puts an end to a long-running trade saga. according to Alfredo Rodriguez, the owner of Agro-Export, which oversees 5 percent of all avocados grown in Mexico, the increased access should translate into bumper profits for Mexican growers. "We are predicting an increase in U.S. sales of at least 25 percent and we think that figure will grow an additional 15 percent within the next three years, " Rodriguez said. Agro-Export currently exports 150 tons a week to the United States, the majority of which goes to McAllen, Texas. The United States first prohibited Mexican avocados in 1914, claiming they carried pests. The ban was partially lifted in February of 1997 when avocados from Michoacan were allowed into 13 northeastern U.S. states, but only from November to February. In November of 2001, 19 more U.S. states were allowed to import the avocados, and the season was lengthened from October 15 to April 15. By January 2005, all U.S. states accepted Mexican avocados all year-round with the exception of California, Florida and Hawaii. (Source: El Universal; 02/02/2007)


TK: Now if Mexico would play fair with U.S. potatoes and apples, even more goodwill would breakout.