Michoacan Avacado business

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2013/12/michoacan-blood-avacados.html

Interesting article

I know one Mexican family who owns an avocado farm in Michoacan. The father and brother disappeared off the farm (likely victims of the drug cartels), and mom and daughter live lakeside. Their income is gone. And without the bodies they cannot declare them dead and sell the farm. It's really a sad situation for all who have family in Michoacan these days.

And for those who have lived here for awhile you notice the price of avocados has gone way up - higher than any other produce. I wonder if it's the added tax that has made the price so steep.

They can have them presumed to be dead after a certain time period if they file the proper papers. There is a procedure.

A shitty business and situation. The internationals I believe are privately held (Westpac and Mission). Calavos stock and dividend just keeps motoring along. No $ pain for the shareholders and big agra or the cartel(s). Now, if Calavos stock started to tank 'cause of all this, you might see some traction. Dream on. We're paying the tax at the till and pity the poor farmer. It's easier for me to understand the grass roots reactions in Michoacan. The farmers know they're getting screwed two ways from Tuesday, or is that three or four.

For the last couple of months or so hass avocados from Michoacan have been selling for fifteen pesos a kilo at our local tianguis in Guadalajara.

Why would the cartels kill them? Easy way to buy land? Sounds gruesome. Have you guys noticed anything different (in regards to cartels) since the new Pres took office? I thought he was soft, possibly on the take, but the "news" seems to report he is continuing the offensive. All I know is that I live in the avocado heart of the US (North San Diego) and it cost a dollar for a mediocre avocado here and and about ten cents for a nice one if I drive to Mexico.
On a good note, people are slowly returning to TJ and I hope the worst is over. Unfortunately, people in the US will always want drugs and Mexico will always prove to be the conduit; such is humanity. My only hope is that the infection stays local and doesn't COMPLETELY infect the highest levels of Mexican government.
http://www.avocadosource.com/WAC1/WAC1_p088.htm

15 pesos is the lowest per kilo I've seen in years. It was recently 35 to 45 per kilo lakeside recently unless it's just gone down. But I have my own avocado tree so I don't ask the price - just see it posted in some places.

So around $3 for 2 pounds? Sounds great to me.

briantroy wrote:So around $3 for 2 pounds? Sounds great to me.  

That's more like $1.15usd for 2.2 pounds.

A friend in Mexico City mentioned today that avocados are selling there for 40 pesos/kilo.

Around the Los Reyes area, there are many small growers that are being offered only 2-3 pesos a kilo for there fruit.  Quite a few of these growers are not picking this year.  The fruit just falls to the ground and rotts away.

Playaboy wrote:Around the Los Reyes area, there are many small growers that are being offered only 2-3 pesos a kilo for there fruit.  Quite a few of these growers are not picking this year.  The fruit just falls to the ground and rotts away.

My friend also mentioned that in Michoacán, the cartels control not only the avocado growers, but also the packers. At least two large-scale international packing plants were burned to the ground in 2013, because the owners refused to cooperate with the cartels' demands for kickbacks. Cartels also control the limón (Mexican lime) pickers and growers. Nine of the day-wage pickers were killed on the way home from requesting more protection and security from the local government. As playaboy said, that fruit also was left to rot on the trees. During 2013, most 'Mexican' limes were imported from Brazil.

whatshername wrote:  During 2013, most 'Mexican' limes were imported from Brazil.

Can you substantiate that?

whatshername wrote:A friend in Mexico City mentioned today that avocados are selling there for 40 pesos/kilo.

At our local tianguis in Guadalajara 6 different vendors have been selling them for 10 pesos a kilo for the last couple of weeks and they're the good Hass type from Michoacan.

smint wrote:

whatshername wrote:  During 2013, most 'Mexican' limes were imported from Brazil.

Can you substantiate that?

i import mine from the courtyard into the house as needed.
sometimes i export them in a bag to friends who take them to their house as far away as san juan cosala and gudalajara.

smint wrote:

whatshername wrote:  During 2013, most 'Mexican' limes were imported from Brazil.

Can you substantiate that?

Yeah, Pedro....
In the Lake Chapala area, there are more limones home grown for use and interchanged between friends, neighbors, and relations, than go through the markets or are shipped in from Brazil. Very few people I know actually buy limones.

viajero wrote:

whatshername wrote:A friend in Mexico City mentioned today that avocados are selling there for 40 pesos/kilo.

At our local tianguis in Guadalajara 6 different vendors have been selling them for 10 pesos a kilo for the last couple of weeks and they're the good Hass type from Michoacan.

Same at lakeside....plenty of Hass aguacates, but more like 20 pesos/kilo.

I go to the street markets every week in Tonala, There are mush limones for sale. My wife & I buy two kilos per week
We have a large glass of water & limon every morn. Limons are Alkaline(surprised?) & help balance the system

viajero wrote:

whatshername wrote:A friend in Mexico City mentioned today that avocados are selling there for 40 pesos/kilo.

At our local tianguis in Guadalajara 6 different vendors have been selling them for 10 pesos a kilo for the last couple of weeks and they're the good Hass type from Michoacan.

10 pesos a kilo?  How much of that 10 pesos goes to the grower?  Maybe 2 peso if they are lucky.  A lot of small growers are taking a beating financially this season in Michoacan.  Some are having their orchards robbed and stripped of fruit.  That helps keep the price you pay down.

We have occasionally seen avocados for 10 pesos a kilo. At that price, the avocados probably fell off the truck, if you get what I mean.

More like they "fell off" branches that hang beyond the wall.   

They didn't hang beyond the wall in crates, nor would 'beyond the wall' have filled these crates. Nor would casual pickers have an opportunity to find any beyond the wall--avocado orchards are closely guarded. The trucks carrying avocados to a packing plant would be a good target for sticky-fingered 'entrepreneurs'.

Playaboy,the price of produce fluctuates due to many different factors,weather,bumper crops,bad crops,disease,etc.
Look at the price of eggs and shrimp compared to what they were a couple of years ago.A year ago avocados were going for 40 pesos a kilo in the tianguis,we didn't buy many at that price,right now we're enjoying the lower prices and have been for the last couple of months.Have some avocado growers in Michoacan been victims of extortion?Of course they have,nobody's denying that.
BTW;Michoacanos have had a reputation for violence known to other Mexicans for many years.

whatshername wrote:We have occasionally seen avocados for 10 pesos a kilo.  At that price, the avocados probably fell off the truck, if you get what I mean.

Probably....but you are not sure.  So Walmart marks up their avocados that fall off the truck, 100 %.
It could be supply and demand, as there doesn't seem to be any shortage of avocados around Lake Chapala.

FWIW, avocados for the past couple of months have regularly been 10-12 pesos per kilo at the Chapala tianguis -- sold by at least three different vendors. (Now, a 'kilo' usually comes out to be around 850g, but still.)

The two times I've been to the Ajijic tianguis during the same two months, avocados were in the mid-20s per kilo. It's one of the starkest differences between the two markets that I know of.

Often, although not always, the avocados at Chapala are very small. Perhaps they were too small for the export market? But usually the pits are small too, which makes them a good deal.