Mexican president announces security plan to resume avocado exports to US

Mexico City, Aug 7 (IANS) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government is working on a plan of action to bolster security in crime-hit Michoacan state so its avocado exports to the United States can resume after they were again halted over safety concerns.

At her daily press conference at the National Palace, on Thursday, Sheinbaum said the strategy aims to further ensure security in certain areas of Michoacan where the National Guard had a limited presence, while simultaneously maintaining talks with US authorities, reports Xinhua news agency.

“We hope that it will resume very soon (referring to exports) and that is why we are in talks and, at the same time, strengthening security in certain areas where the Guard did not have as much of a presence,” she said.

Sheinbaum said she met with avocado growers and exporters in Michoacan, the leading producer and exporter of avocados to the US market, after the United States issued a security alert for the region.

At the same time, Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requested a meeting with the US embassy as soon as possible to propose that inspections resume with the presence of supervisors from its national food safety service.

Sheinbaum said she was working to resolve the issue so “there won’t be any significant impact … so we can get exports back on track.”

On Wednesday, the United States announced in the security alert that it had suspended its government activities in Michoacan because of a “threat” against US interests, halting avocado inspections and imports.

Earlier in June, Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said that Mexico will focus on persuading the United States to eliminate existing tariffs during the review process of North America’s trilateral free trade agreement,

The economy secretary said at an event that the US delegation put forward several proposals following the first round of formal negotiations last week on the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Under Trump, the United States is implementing differentiated tariffs on imports that vary depending on where goods are produced, a policy that Mexican officials say differs drastically from the international trading system that has prevailed in recent decades, especially with regional trade partners Mexico and Canada.

–IANS

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