Mexico dominates the global avocado industry. It produces nearly 30% of the world’s total and controls 40% of the value of global exports. The state of Michoacán accounts for 75% of that production. But behind this “green gold” lies a reality that avocado toast consumers prefer to ignore.
In December 2025, the Mexican Army (SEDENA) formally identified six cartels controlling the industry: CJNG, Los Viagras, Blancos de Troya, Caballeros Templarios, La Quiringua, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. This is not a metaphor. They literally charge producers 2,500 pesos per hectare. In the lime sector alone, they extract 30 million pesos WEEKLY through extortion. If you don’t pay, they burn your orchards or kill you.
☠️ The mayor of Uruapan was murdered for denouncing extortion. Hipólito Mora, a leader of self-defense groups, was also executed. Modesto Gutiérrez, a farmer who couldn’t pay the half-million-peso extortion fee, was killed. In 2019, USDA inspectors were robbed at gunpoint. In 2022, another inspector received death threats days before the Super Bowl. In 2024, two more were kidnapped and beaten. The U.S. import suspensions lasted only weeks each time because economic pressure prevailed.
Producing one kilogram of avocados requires between 1,000 and 2,000 liters of water in a region experiencing extreme drought in 60% of its area. Cartels have drilled illegal wells and diverted rivers. Aquifers are being depleted so rapidly that they have triggered more than 3,000 micro-earthquakes in Uruapan. The Secretary of the Environment for Michoacán estimates that 30% of the orchards are illegal; other experts estimate the figure to be as high as 80%.
🌲 Pine forests that took centuries to grow are being intentionally burned to reclaim land. One hectare of forest absorbs 222 tons of CO2. One hectare of avocado orchard absorbs only 37. They are exporting water and destroying green spaces so you can have your “sustainable” plate on Instagram.
Source: consciente
