The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended all inspections of avocados and mangos headed for the United States from the Mexican state of Michoacan on Monday, June 17, which could have a significant impact on supplies and market price if it remains in place for even a few days. Press reports indicate that the suspension was the result of an incident involving two USDA inspectors being stopped and detained at a checkpoint within Michoacan. In the past, the USDA has exhibited zero tolerance with the interference of the work of its agricultural inspectors, including any implied threats. In

The California Avocado Commission's mid-season grower and packer crop survey estimates volume to exceed 250 million pounds. This forecast for the 2024 crop is about 20 percent higher than the pre-season estimate. About 60 percent of the crop has been harvested, meaning there is about 40 percent of the California avocado crop still maturing and sizing on the trees. Currently there is a good supply of a range of sizes to meet a variety of customer needs. At the June 6 board of directors meeting, the CAC board approved additional investment for the fiscal year, including incremental marketing

Hass avocados from Peru will be prime for selling to U.S. consumers in time for the 2024 backyard barbecue season. Customers of Index Fresh, a global avocado marketing and distribution company, can count on availability of the premium Peruvian harvest throughout summer with attractive fixed pricing available on fruit secured now as part of prebooked, season-long programs for retail and foodservice. “We anticipate opportunities for an abundance of Peruvian avocados entering the U.S. supply chain late this spring and throughout summer,” said Dalila Rivera, Index Fresh vice president of sourcing

Though growing conditions have led to a smaller Peruvian avocado crop this year, McDaniel Fruit Co. is expecting to have supplies very similar to its 2023 volume for the U.S. market. Carson McDaniel, vice president for the Fallbrook, CA firm, said it seems likely that avocado exporters from that South American country will be allocating a greater percentage of their supplies to the U.S. market to maintain a consistent volume. He also noted that much of the drop in volume came from the more northern growing district, while the U.S. market typically gets the majority of its fruit from the

The big news out of Peru this season is that its avocado crop is smaller than it has been, but that will not be evident in the volume available from Santa Paula, CA-based Calavo Growers Inc. “Overall, Peru has a smaller crop but our volume coming to the U.S. market will be a little bit more than last year, with a slightly smaller size curve,” said Peter Shore, vice president of product management. He said Peru has typically shipped a lot of 30s, 36s and 40s to the U.S. market, filling the demand for the larger fruit. “This year, we expect to see more 40s, 48s and smaller,” he said. Calavo is

Though Mission Produce is one of the leading exporters of avocados from Peru, this year it will rely on several points of supply to fill demand for avocados during the summer months. “Although Peru is historically one of the strongest origins during the summer, the industry has projected a shorter and smaller crop for the 2024 Peruvian season, mainly due to the impact of the El Niño phenomenon,” said Keith Barnard, senior vice president, global sourcing for the Oxnard, CA-based company. “As a result, we’re leveraging our diversified sourcing strategy and deep-rooted grower connections across