Mexico tightens avocado export rules as shipment values fall 44.5%

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Mexico is introducing additional traceability, labour, and zero-deforestation requirements for avocado exports to the United States ahead of the USMCA review. The measures come as export volumes increase while prices and export earnings decline.

The Agro-Export Labor Certificate, mandatory since October 2026, verifies compliance with social security obligations. Under an agreement between the Tax Administration Service (SAT) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), avocado packers will also be required to source fruit directly from certified orchards to qualify for tax deductions from December 31, 2026.

Export inspections involve SADER, SENASICA, and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Michoacán and Jalisco remain the only Mexican states authorized to export avocados to the United States. Environmental authorities are also implementing zero-deforestation certification for exports to the United States, the European Union, and Asia.

Export volumes increase as prices decline
According to the Agricultural Markets Consulting Group (GCMA), Mexican avocado cultivation yielded 1.78 million tonnes between January and August 2026, compared with 1.79 million tonnes a year earlier.

Export volumes increased 33.7% to one million tonnes, while average export prices fell 63.2%, from US$3.80 to US$1.40 per kg. Export earnings declined 44.5%, from US$2.6 billion to US$1.4 billion.

GCMA forecasts a 2026 harvest of 2.84 million tonnes and exports of 1.56 million tonnes, compared with 1.28 million tonnes exported in 2025.

Guerrero growers seek market access
Meanwhile, avocado growers in Guerrero are seeking additional marketing channels. The state’s Sierra region has 4,800 hectares under cultivation, with reported yields of four to five tonnes per hectare and an annual harvest of approximately 5,000 tonnes.

Around 2,200 growers face constraints related to transport and market access. According to José Brito of the Guerrero Avocado Producers and Packers Association, intermediaries purchase fruit for approximately US$0.43–1.35 per kg, sometimes reselling it as Michoacán-grown avocados.

Brito says growers have a packing facility certified under SENASICA’s federal scheme and have sent samples to Dubai to assess export requirements. They are requesting government assistance to establish domestic and international sales channels.

Source: Mexico Business News

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Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies