There’s a prohibition right now on avocados from Mexico being imported to the U.S. — and local growers and buyers say they're cautiously watching to see how long this embargo lasts.
On the eve of the Super Bowl, the United States Department of Agriculture announced a ban on avocados from Mexico being imported into the U.S. following a verbal threat an American safety inspector received while working in the country.
California avocado grower Ben Holtz said growers are keeping a close eye on how long this may last.
“It is an unprecedented event, " Holtz said. "They haven’t halted avocados for 25 years.”
Holtz said he’s seen an increase in demand for avocados since the news of the ban, but he’s encouraging people not to panic, since there are still plenty of avocados to go around for now.
“If this thing goes over two weeks, we might start to see certain areas without avocados," Holtz said. "If it goes up to four weeks, then we are probably going to be limited.”
But Michael Wolfe, owner of the Avocado Shack in Morro Bay, said this does put pressure on him to ensure he has enough avocados on the shelf.
The Avocado Shack sells vegetables and fruit from local growers only.
“Everybody is scrambling for them right now,” Wolfe said.
So, Wolfe said he’s been busy placing orders for avocados.
“I’m glad I got relationships with our local people here," Wolfe said. "To where I’m calling up people up and going ‘hey, let's make a deal.’”
Wolfe said how much costs will rise on the fruit will entirely depend on how long this ban lasts. If it lasts several weeks, Wolfe says the forecast doesn’t look good.
“The prices might actually triple from what I’m hearing," Wolfe said. "They are talking that they could go as high as $5 a piece. It’s crazy, it’s historic.”
Ben Holtz, though, said he's optimistic this ban will be figured out before it gets to that point.
“We’ll see how it plays out," Holtz said. "My intuition and my sources say that the trucks should start rolling possibly tomorrow, possibly next week, which will mean that there will be minimal impacts to consumers.”
