Illegal Avocado Farming: A Green Gold or Environmental Catastrophe?

Michoacan's avocado industry is under scrutiny for illegal deforestation, water mismanagement, and links to organized crime. U.S. lawsuits demand that importers West Pak and Fresh Del Monte remove 'sustainable' labels from avocados. Despite soaring exports, the environmental and social toll in Mexico is rising, according to activists and local officials.

On a sweltering July afternoon, two large yellow bulldozers dug into the brown soil at the bottom of a lush avocado orchard in Madero, Michoacan.

Drone footage captured by Reuters showed the earth movers hollowing the ground, a move described by Mexican environmental group Guardian Forestal as an attempt to construct a water reservoir. This comes amidst growing concerns about the environmental impact of resource-intensive avocado farming.

Data from Conagua shows only 42 registered reservoirs in Madero, but activists argue there are hundreds more. Excessive water extraction by avocado producers during a drought is draining local lakes and communal basins. Illegal practices in Michoacan's avocado heartland, driven by soaring U.S. demand, threaten nearby forests and ignite lawsuits by the Organic Consumers Association against major importers like West Pak and Fresh Del Monte.

(With inputs from agencies.)