What avocados from Jalisco, Mexico could mean for U.S. market

Hass avocado aficionados across the U.S. have cause for celebration, as the USDA recently approved the export of avocados from Jalisco, Mexico to the U.S. First announced in 2021 by Mexican authorities, the agreement marks the second Mexican state (Michoacán was first) allowed to export avocados to the U.S..

What could the influx of this Jalisco fruit mean to the U.S. avocado market?

"Our expansion into the Jalisco region will strengthen our grower base and allow us to increase our import numbers, enhancing our mission of providing consumers with the freshest avocados year-round," said Ron Campbell, executive director at the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association, in an Avocados From Mexico news release. 

Demand for avocados has increased dramatically since the early 2000s. The number of avocados available per person has tripled to more than 8 pounds per person, according to the USDA Economic Research Services.

"This first export of avocados from Jalisco will only improve the already positive economic benefits of avocado imports from Mexico," said Campbell.

As Mexican avocado imports move through the food supply chain, they contribute $6.5 billion in economic output and $4 billion in GDP in the U.S. economy, according to the Avocados From Mexico release.

"In fact, because Avocados From Mexico has tapped into U.S. culinary trends of consumers, it's boosted avocado consumption by over 600%, an impressive 10% average annual growth rate and we expect it only to increase."

Mission Produce of Oxnard, Calif. and the Santa Paula, Calif.-based Calavo have already begun shipping Jalisco avocados to the U.S.

Mexico is the largest avocado producer in the world, accounting for 30% of global production. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services, Jalisco is the second largest avocado producing state in Mexico with more than 250,000 tons produced year-round from 3,100 producers.

The Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM) will now work closely with Jalisco to deliver even more avocados to the U.S., said the release.

This new agreement will allow the import of fresh Hass avocados from Mexico to expand and will operate under the Cooperative Service Agreement between the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and APEAM. The new agreement integrates 695 orchards, 9,441 hectares, 11 packing houses and 10 municipalities in Jalisco, according to the release. 

The Hass Avocado Board projects that from August to November of 2022, Hass avocado imports from Mexico will increase by an average of 2.8% compared to a year ago.