Mexican avocado producers destroy tons of crops after pest detected

Mexico City - Environmental officials in Michoacan, the heart of Mexico's avocado industry, have confirmed the presence of the avocado seed weevil in large shipments of avocados set for international export. This discovery has prompted producers in the avocado-producing states of Michoacan, Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit to destroy up to 52 tons of the fruit over the weekend.

The weevil, which bores into avocados and their seed, can devastate crops if not addressed promptly. Producers have been instructed to destroy the contaminated fruit, with some dumping truckloads of avocados in pits to be burned or buried, following pest-elimination protocols. Mexico remains the world's leading avocado producer and exporter, with Michoacan being the country's top producing state and a key supplier to the US market. Authorities have not yet determined the economic impact of the avocado loss.