Case Studies

The article titled “Are Mexican Avocados The Next ‘Conflict Commodity’?” published on The Guardian, discusses the dark side of the booming avocado industry in Mexico. The industry, which is a multibillion-dollar one for Mexico, the world’s largest producer, has attracted the attention of organised crime groups due to its profitability. These groups engage in both extortion and direct cultivation, usually on lands taken over from local farmers or carved out from protected woodlands. The state of Michoacán, a long-standing hotbed for criminal violence, is particularly affected. The article draws parallels between the avocado industry and conflict minerals, highlighting the increasing risk of association with killings, modern slavery, child labour, and environmental degradation when dealing with Michoacán suppliers and growers. The article also mentions the rise in violence due to turf wars among more than 12 criminal groups, including the notoriously violent Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, fighting for control over the avocado-producing regions and transport routes1.

Keywords: Latin America, Mexico, avocados, modern slavery, child labour, organised crime, murder

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/30/are-mexican-avocados-the-worlds-new-conflict-commodity

The case of Mexico’s avocado industry offers a compelling example of how economic opportunities can intertwine with illicit activities. Mexico is the largest supplier of avocados to the US, earning the fruit the moniker “green gold.” Michoacán, a major avocado-growing region, has seen extensive deforestation, land conversion, and water scarcity as forests are cleared to make way for profitable avocado farms.  

The local government’s Forest Guardian initiative identified 817 illegal avocado orchards, highlighting the scale of the problem. These illegal orchards came under scrutiny from the US ambassador to Mexico in early 2024, Ken Salazar, as he highlighted the need for stringent traceability measures to combat the export of avocados from illegal orchards to the US. 

The avocado trade from Mexico to the US has experienced significant growth, increasing from 121,600 metric tons in 2019 to approximately 135,000 in 2022. According to Climate Rights International (CRI), four out of five avocados consumed in the United States are imported from Mexico. This surge in demand has led to the widespread establishment of the illegal avocado orchards previously mentioned, often at the expense of the environment and local communities. 

The lucrative nature of the avocado trade has continued to attract the attention of organised crime cartels, which have diversified their activities over the years. For instance, cartels in the region have infiltrated the avocado trade, imposing “protection” fees on farmers, and their activities include illegal logging, extortion, kidnapping, arms trafficking and even murder. The profits from these activities are used to finance their broader criminal operations, embedding the avocado trade within a network of illicit financial flows.  

Keywords: Latin America, Mexico, avocados, organised crime, illegal logging, extortion, murder

Sources: https://insightcrime.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Romain-Le-Cour-Grandmaison-Paul-Frissard-Martinez-Violent-and-vibrant-Mexicos-avocado-boom-and-organized-crime.-GI-TOC-January-2024.pdf  

https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/mexicos-avocados-and-arms-trafficking-criminal-combination-suffocating-michoacan  

https://apnews.com/article/mexico-drought-avocados-dried-up-lakes-faaad63fdf0d3f3cba7b33fb0456c053  

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexican-avocados-grown-illegal-orchards-should-not-be-exported-us-ambassador-2024-02-26/