Mexican Avocado Growers Celebrate Record
 Associated Press
| | Exports so far this season, which has yet to end, are worth more than US$140 million. |
Mexico City - Mexican avocado exporters celebrated Monday exporting a record 73,855 tons (67,000 metric tons) of avocados to the United States so far in the 2004-2005 season.
Benjamin Grayeb Ruiz, head of the Michoacan avocado producers and exporters association, said exports this year were boosted by the expanded access as of Jan. 31 to the U.S. market. Mexican producers, centered in Michoacan state, can now export all year round to all states except California, Florida and Hawaii.
Grayeb, according to a transcript from the press office of President Vicente Fox, noted that avocado exports from Michoacan have grown more than tenfold from over 6,615 tons (6,000 metric tons) when the decades-old U.S. ban was partially lifted in the 1997-1998 season. Last year, Mexico exported about 46,300 tons (42,000 metric tons) of the fruit.
Grayeb said exports so far this season, which has yet to end, are worth more than US$140 million (euro114 million).
The number of producers in the avocado association has risen from 61 to 2,500, of whom 70 percent cultivate less than 10 hectares, he said. The number of packers has grown from five to 21, and the number of avocado producing municipalities given clearance to export to the United States has grown from four to 10, he added.
Agriculture Minister Javier Usabiaga said Mexico as a whole has 21,000 avocado growers who produce close to 992,800 tons (900,000 metric tons) a year on 94,000 hectares. |
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Business News | June 2005 
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