California, USA - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced May 26 that fruit from all growing areas may be imported beginning June 27 if it meets pest mitigation criteria.

Currently, only avocados from the state of Michoacán may be exported to the U.S.

In anticipation of getting the green light from APHIS, U.S. importers have been preparing to bring in avocados from other areas of Mexico, in particular the state of Jalisco.

Jalisco is the state furthest along on its work plan with Mexican officials to begin exporting to the U.S., said Phil Henry, president of Escondido, California-based Henry Avocado Corp.

Henry Avocado will probably bring in some fruit from Jalisco this year, Henry said, but volumes will likely be limited in the short term. Jalisco's deal typically runs from the spring through November. "I don't anticipate a dramatic impact on the market. Mexico already has significant volume coming on."

Robb Bertels, vice president of marketing for Oxnard, California-based Mission Produce, agreed. "I'm not sure if it's a game changer at this point. The fruit that's possibly coming in already exists in the market. It's not like there's a bunch of new production. The U.S. is just one of Jalisco's options."

Through its grower partners in Jalisco, Mission has been shipping to Canada, Asia and Europe from the region for several years, Bertels said.

Jalisco has a history of supplying high-quality avocados to Canada, said Gary Caloroso, director of marketing for avocados and asparagus for Los Angeles-based The Giumarra Cos.

Initial reports, he said, indicate volumes from Jalisco to the U.S. will be light this year and increase in coming years. Whether that will eventually affect California's summer deal, he said, remains to be seen.

Caloroso added that for at least the near future, Michoacán and Jalisco will likely be the only Mexican regions shipping to the U.S. "I think it will take a considerable amount of time for the other states to come in."