Michoacán Avocado Harvest Remains Suspended as US Supplies Tighten
04 November 2026, Uruapan, MX: Harvesting of avocados in Michoacán, Mexico’s main growing region, remained suspended as of November 2, more than a week after growers halted operations in a dispute over farmgate prices, leaving US buyers facing dwindling inventories and rising costs.
Productores Unidos de Aguacate, a body representing small avocado growers in Michoacán, called the harvest halt on October 23. The group is demanding a minimum farmgate price of between 35 and 45 Mexican pesos per kilo (roughly $1.86 to $2.39), protection against competition from avocados grown in other Mexican states, and changes to VELAGRO, a digital tracking platform the Michoacán state government launched and began enforcing in early October. Growers say the platform is overly complicated and adds to their financial strain.
The growers’ union has met twice with the Michoacán state government and with APEAM, the association representing Mexico’s avocado producers and packer-exporters, without reaching an agreement. APEAM said it does not set or influence avocado prices itself but is helping growers comply with VELAGRO and remains open to further proposals. The union has also taken control of the local office of Sanidad Vegetal, the phytosanitary agency responsible for certifying fruit for export.
US buyers face a widening supply gap
Michoacán supplies up to 90% of the avocados sold in the United States, which in turn accounts for 98% of the US avocado market. At the time the stoppage began, an estimated 56 million to 58 million pounds of avocados were in storage, against weekly US demand of about 50 million pounds, a cushion that has been shrinking as the suspension drags on. Road blockades in Michoacán and neighboring Jalisco have further slowed the movement of what fruit is still available toward packing facilities.
Markon Cooperative, a produce supply service that has been tracking the dispute for its members, said in a November 2 update that most Michoacán packinghouses were closed that day for the Día de los Muertos holiday, while harvesting continued uninterrupted in Jalisco. Some packers had hoped operations in Michoacán could resume on November 3, but Markon said “there is no official confirmation that growers will resume operations,” and pricing between growers and packers remains the central unresolved issue.
Some Michoacán packers are reportedly offering growers prices comparable to those being paid in Jalisco in an effort to end the standoff. Markon said that once harvesting does resume, US market prices will need to reset and are not expected to return to levels seen before the stoppage began, since rebuilding supply will take time to move through harvesting, packing, transport and ripening before reaching retail shelves. The cooperative said it will continue monitoring the situation and advised customers to expect continued price volatility until harvesting in Michoacán stabilizes.
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