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Mexico free to import avocados into U.S. again, alleviating panic among consumers

The U.S. lifted its ban on avocado inspections Friday.
Mexican Avocados
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The ban on avocados from Mexico is over.

The U.S. government lifted a ban on inspections Friday, making way for imports of the fruit to resume.

Ambassador Ken Salazar said in a statement that the decision came after Mexico and the United States agreed “to enact the measures that ensure the safety” of agricultural inspectors who are in charge of making sure Mexican avocados don’t carry diseases or pests that would harm U.S. orchards.

The inspections were halted last week after one of the U.S. inspectors was threatened in Michoacán, the only state in Mexico fully authorized to export to the U.S. market.

Avocado growers there are often extorted by drug cartels.

The lift on the ban comes just as economists were warning about avocado prices increasing in the coming days.