Mexico’s avocado industry is the country’s first agricultural sector to sign onto the Mexican government’s effort to rid its exports of deforestation.
On Aug. 27, the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM) signed a conservation agreement with the Mexican federal government and the Mexican Departments of Agriculture and Environment. Among other things, the agreement commits the Mexican avocado industry’s exports to be deforestation-free by 2030.
“It’s an honor for Mexican Avocados to lead the nation in this conservation agreement. Our industry is spearheading Mexico’s zero-deforestation goals thanks to our network of over 35,000 growers and more than 90 packers, who consistently work to conserve the Avocado Landscape for future generations,” Ramon Paz-Vega, strategic consultant for the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association, said in a news release.
“We’re grateful for the government’s partnership in this effort — especially as we make progress under our Path to Sustainability, which expands our commitment to protecting Mexico’s forests, water, biodiversity and more,” he added.
Making of the Agreement
In late January, the Mexican government announced its plans to create a program to ensure agricultural exports “respect labor rights, occupational health and safety, are free from deforestation, and responsibly use natural resources” (translated via Google Translate). It identified the avocado production chain as the first industry to undertake the plan since avocados are a key export commodity, and one heavily implicated in deforestation.
According to Mexico’s secretary of environment and natural resources, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, avocado orchard expansion resulted in roughly 49,400 acres of deforestation between 2018 and 2024, an important date range for the agreement. She described avocado orchards’ “uncontrolled expansion” as having serious negative impacts on ecosystems.
Under the new agreement, a deforestation-free certification process will be required to export avocados beginning in January 2026. According to information from the Avocado Institute of Mexico, avocados from orchards planted on lands deforested in 2025 or beyond will not be eligible for export.
Owners of orchards planted on lands deforested between 2018–2024 will have to take a number of compensatory steps under Mexican environmental law before their produce can qualify for certification for export.
“Examples might include support of approved conservation initiatives or financial plans that help fuel ecological developments, among other options to advance this net-zero goal for Mexico’s Avocado Landscape and agricultural sector at large,” says the Avocado Institute of Mexico. It adds that the 2018 start date on the range was specified by the agreement.
“Selecting 2018 signals a commitment to complying with rigorous standards, setting accurate benchmarks and measuring true progress,” the institute adds.
Looking Forward to Deforestation-Free
According to Hass Avocado Board Director of Industry Affairs John McGuigan, most avocado groves in Mexico were planted during the 1970s and 1980s. The Avocado Institute of Mexico says that most of these older groves were planted on land that was already in agricultural use, meaning they are not implicated in deforestation at all.
Indeed, the institute estimates that at least 85% of Mexico’s more than 54,000 orchards are expected to qualify in the first year of the certification process.
According to the Mexican government’s January announcement, the agreement aims to “strengthen the country’s position in international markets, making it a global leader in the sustainable and fair production” of agricultural exports like avocados.
“We are convinced that these measures will strengthen the competitiveness and positioning of Mexican avocados in global markets,” says Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, chief of staff to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and previous governor of Michoacán, the heart of Mexico’s avocado industry. “We trust that the private sector will join this great initiative convened by the president for the benefit of the Mexican people.”
Enrique Audifred, vice president of sustainability for APEAM, says in the recent announcement of the agreement’s signing that the avocado industry appreciates collaboration with the Mexican federal government.
“This conservation agreement reflects our shared goal to restore and preserve Mexico’s forests in action,” he adds. “Our industry will continue to build a resilient and sustainable future for the Avocado Landscape of Mexico, delivering results that go far beyond this agreement.”
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