Price Dispute Halts Shipments of Coveted Mexican Avocados

  • Michoacan producers seeking at least 17 pesos a kilo
  • Sales to U.S., Japan, Canada, China, Europe have stopped
Workers sort avocados separated by weight from a conveyor belt at a packing facility in Nayarit, Mexico.Photographer: Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

A price dispute between producers in Michoacan, the heartland of Mexican avocado production, and packing companies has brought exports of the coveted green fruit to a halt.

Growers ceased harvesting last week and now shipments to Mexico’s three top avocado buyers -- the U.S., Canada, and Japan -- have been suspended, according to daily newspaper ReformaBloomberg Terminal. The interruption has already hurt deliveries to U.S. retailers like North Carolina-based Food Lion, which runs supermarkets in 10 U.S. states, and the Firehouse Subs chain. Neither company immediately provided comment.