page_title: Avocado
section_title: Avocado-related international trade issues
hierarchical_section_title: Avocado / Avocado-related international trade issues
caption_attribution_description: English: Selling of avocados in Santo Domingo, DR. The sign "H2O KT" is a play on aguacate, the Spanish term for avocado. Español: Vendiendo aguacates en Santo Domingo, RD
context_page_description: The avocado, a tree likely originating from south-central Mexico, is classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. The fruit of the plant, also called an avocado, is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed.
  Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. They have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, they ripen after harvesting. Avocado trees are partially self-pollinating, and are often propagated through grafting to maintain predictable fruit quality and quantity. In 2017, Mexico produced 34% of the world supply of avocados.
context_section_description: After the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect in 1994, Mexico tried exporting avocados to the US. The US government resisted, claiming the trade would introduce Tephritidae fruit flies that would destroy California's crops. The Mexican government responded by inviting USDA inspectors to Mexico, but the US government declined, claiming fruit fly inspection was not feasible. The Mexican government then proposed to sell avocados only to the northeastern US in the winter (fruit flies cannot withstand extreme cold). The US government balked, but gave in when the Mexican government started erecting barriers to US corn.
  Imports from Mexico in the 2005–2006 season exceeded 130,000 metric tons (143,000 short tons; 128,000 long tons).
  In 2009, Peru joined Chile and Mexico as an exporter of avocados to the US.
  In the US, avocados are grown in California and Florida, where land, labor, and water are expensive. Avocado trees require frequent, deep watering to bear optimally, particularly in spring, summer, and fall. Due to increased Southern California water costs, they are now costly to grow. California produces 90% of the United States' avocados.
  As of 2013, Mexico leads international exports, with other significant production in California, New Zealand, Peru, and South Africa.
  During the coronavirus pandemic, Mexican avocado farmers slowed harvesting thinking that consumption would drop. In fact, there was a surge in demand causing prices to rise as well.
caption: Selling avocados in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The sign "H2O KT" is a play on aguacate, the Spanish word for avocado.
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