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Avocado production in Michoacan reaches its limit
Mexico
Tuesday 13 February 2024
VU
The soil of Michoacán, a state in western Mexico and a world leader in avocado production, is reaching its limit (photo: elsoldepuebla.com.mx).
The soil of Michoacán, a state in western Mexico and a world leader in avocado production, is reaching its limit.
Last Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers starred in Super Bowl LVIII, the NFL's premier football event. Spectators' tables were laden with guacamole, a dish made mainly with avocado, mostly from Michoacán.
In the late 1990s, Michoacán succeeded in meeting US requirements to export avocados to the neighbouring country. Since then, the export volume has been increasing: for this year's Super Bowl, Mexican customs estimates that around 110,000 tonnes will be shipped.
As a result, Michoacán's landscapes have undergone drastic changes in recent years. Where once there were lush pine forests, there are now endless hectares of avocado plantations. Some lakes have even been reduced to puddles and have even dried up completely.
Michoacán agronomist Nacho Simón explains that, following US standards, the aim is to have "clean" avocados, without any weeds around them, which leads to the use of herbicides that end up contaminating groundwater.
Added to this is the "water depletion" caused by the avocado, which requires thousands of litres of water to produce just one kilogramme, unlike pine forests, which promote humidity.
The survival of green gold
Cuauhtémoc Montero, a chemical engineer and owner of several orchards in Tancítaro and for the past four years owner of Rancho La Luna in Morelia, says that on his ranch he has not resorted to deforestation or the elimination of other species.
He explains that avocado farming must be done in such a way that we can coexist and coexist with all the native plants and trees of the region. Some choose to remove pines, oaks and eradicate all vegetation to plant avocados, which leads to major problems of soil diseases.
Both, with their years of experience, consider that Michoacán is reaching its limits.
The solution
Faced with this, the producers say that the only option is to emphasise that if the current model continues, future generations will have no land to cultivate.
Regarding the responsibility of state and federal authorities, they consider that Mexican laws on ecological and forestry management are adequate, but corruption contributes to uncontrolled deforestation and to the lack of equity in land use reclassification.
fuente: efeagro.com
