State of Mexico: Avocado Production Powerhouse

Alfredo del Mazo, Governor of the State of Mexico, inaugurated the first Avocado Production Center of the state, which is estimated to have an annual production capacity of up to 90,000 plants and will allow the region to consolidate as one of the main avocado producers in the country, explained a note by Milenio. Moreover, Del Mazo pointed out that one in 10 avocados consumed in the world are produced in Mexico.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), national avocado production in 2018 was led by Michoacan (76 percent), followed by Jalisco (9 percent) and the State of Mexico (5 percent). In that same year, national avocado production was 2.1 million tons, of which the State of Mexico contributed a little more than 105,000 tons. However, numbers have changed since then.

Michoacan is still Mexico's leading avocado producer, yet its contribution increased to 94.6 percent (195,366 tons) of the national annual production, followed by Jalisco with 4.7 percent (9,759 tons) a year.  The general panorama shows, according to SAGARPA figures, that Michoacan and Jalisco concentrate 99.4 percent (205,125 tons) of the country's output, followed by Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Veracruz and Yucatan. State of Mexico numbers have not yet been reported.

In the particular case of the State of Mexico, it is worth noting that Coatepec Harinas is the municipality that concentrates nearly 50 percent of the productive power of the state. The state is estimated to produce between 56,672 and 100,000 tons a year. Governor del Mazo delivered 25,000 avocado plants at the Coatepec Harinas municipality, where the Avocado Production Center was inaugurated, to begin the promotion of the avocado production in the State of Mexico. 

Although the state is not among the largest avocado producers in the country, this project adds to Mexico's good run in domestic production. Over the past decade, SADER estimates that national production of avocado has grown at an average annual rate of 6 percent. This is partly due to the country's climatic conditions that help maintain national production almost throughout the year.

Internationally, Mexico is the world's leading avocado producer and exporter. According to SADER, in December 2018, Mexico placed first among the world's avocado producers. Moreover, this was the agricultural product that gave the country more revenue, followed by red tomato and bell pepper. In addition, Mexican avocado exports are mainly concentrated in three markets, the US (77 percent), Canada (7 percent) and Japan (6 percent). Colombia, Nuevo Leon and Reynosa, Tamaulipas are the main exit point for avocado exports, according to SADER’s 2018 figures. 

More than 60 countries in the world are producers of at least 500 varieties of avocado, yet the Mexican countryside is the generator of the three most appreciated varieties by consumers: Hass, Criollo and Fuerte, according to the National Service of Health, Innocuousness and Agrifood Quality. Today, avocado is known as the "green gold,” given its consumption in 34 countries around the world.