Mexico City, February 18, 2022 – I am pleased to report that today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has determined it will immediately resume its avocado inspection program in Michoacán. This is possible due to the rapid response and cooperation of the governor of Michoacán, Mexico’s federal government, and the Mexican Association of Avocado Producers and Exporters (APEAM). I thank them for working with my security colleagues in the U.S. Embassy to enact the measures that ensure the safety of our APHIS inspectors in the field.
I also thank the hardworking U.S. and Mexican farmers and ranchers, the backbone of the world’s largest bilateral food and agricultural trade relationship. In 2021, two-way food and agricultural trade reached $65 billion, including $2.8 billion in Mexican avocado exports to the United States.
Mexico and the United States will continue working together to fortify the strong bilateral supply chains that promote economic growth and prosperity in both our countries.