Avocado farmers routinely victimized by organized crime

While everyone outside of Mexico is moaning about the steep cost of avocados, those living inside of the country are paying a far higher price.

From The Yucatan Times:

Every day, avocado producers are victims of robberies and lose an average of four loaded trucks of around 12 tons (26,448 pounds) during the journey from the orchards to the packing zones on the state's highways. They ask the authorities to stop the criminal gangs, which threaten the economic activity and the lives of the workers.

When a truckload of the fatty fruit gets hijacked, instead of being compensated by insurance for the full price of what was lost, the producer and shipping company are only awarded 15 pesos--less than 80 cents--per kilogram.

According to the Yucatan Times, avocado industry representatives have pretty much said that their regional and national governments couldn't give two shits that their shipments of the fatty fruit are routinely pirated by armed, well organized criminals. Even if they did, with the nation's law enforcement agencies and military already neck deep in combating violent crime (not to mention credible claims of wide-spread corruption within their ranks), it's unclear whether what Mexico's avocado industry would like to be seen done could be done.

Given that the revenue generated by avocado production rakes in billions of dollars every year, you can bet that the trouble those associated with the industry are seeing won't disappear, anytime soon.

Image via Flickr, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture