The Mexican Hass avocado will reach Brazilian palates this year, as this week health authorities from Mexico and the southern country signed the Operational Work Plan (PTO), which allows its export.
“Good news! The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture informs me that the protocol allowing the importation of Mexican avocados, the best in the world, to that sister nation has been published, to the delight of its 200 million consumers,” celebrated the head of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (Agriculture), Julio Berdegué Sacristán, on his Instagram account.
On July 17, the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) of Brazil issued Ordinance SDA/MAPA No. 1336, which establishes the phytosanitary requirements that shipments of fresh Mexican avocado must meet.
The National Service of Health, Safety, and Agrifood Quality (Senasica) and MAPA agreed in the Plan on measures to ensure avocados are free of quarantine pests, as well as pit borers.
This provision went into effect on Thursday the 17th, and Secasica will be responsible for authorizing orchards and packing plants that comply with the provisions.
According to Senasica and Agriculture, Mexico is the world’s leading avocado producer, with nearly 3 million tons annually, and exports 46% of its production to countries such as the United States, Japan, Spain, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Netherlands.
According to information from the Ministry of Economy, in 2024, international sales of fresh or dried avocados reached $3.969 billion, and the main buyer was the United States, with a total of $3.444 billion.
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Following the list of buyers are Canada (US$257 million), Japan (US$108 million), El Salvador (US$38 million), and Honduras (US$31.6 million).
By April 2025, international avocado sales totaled US$449 million, and no purchases were made.
Michoacán de Ocampo is the state that accounts for 89.1% of Mexico’s avocado market, representing US$3.954 billion. Within the state, the municipality of Uruapan accounts for 69% of the national production.
Jalisco is the second largest producer, with a distant 8.42%, but representing US$333 million. In third place is Mexico City, with 1.37% ($54.3 million) in the municipalities of Miguel Hidalgo ($28 million) and Álvaro Obregón ($25.2 million).
There are more than 500 avocado varieties, but Mexico produces three of the most important: Hass, Criollo, and Fuerte.
Origin of the Mexican Avocado
The Ministry of Agriculture reported that the avocado tree is native to Mesoamerica, possibly central Mexico or some of the highlands of Guatemala.
According to the Ministry, the first evidence of its edible use was in the Coxcatlán Cave in Tehuacán, Puebla, dating back 7,000 to 8,000 years.
Source: expansion
