[ad_1]
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Access to avocados might be difficult following the U.S. government’s announcement of suspending trade of the green fruit from Mexico.
According to an article from the Associated Press, the suspension of avocado trade with Mexico comes after Mexico’s Agriculture Department said a U.S. Plant Safety inspector in Mexico received a threatening message.
About 90% of the U.S.’s avocados come from the Mexican state of Michoacan, the only state authorized to import avocados to the U.S.
Now, some Rio Grande Valley restaurants said they don’t know how that could affect business in the future.
“There’s nothing we can do, you know to prepare for it,” said John Rendon, the owner of New York Deli in Harlingen. “The produce company that we use they’re telling us to be on the lookout for it, they don’t know when it might happen.”
For other restaurants like La Jaiba owner, Francisco Gutierrez said avocado is an everyday item on their menu.
“Oh, that’s an everyday thing. From our guacamole appetizer to getting a botana with a side of avocados, tacos come with avocados, our shrimp cocktails come with avocados.”
Gutierrez said right now they have not heard of changes in pricing from their suppliers, but are playing the waiting game to see how things turn out.
“I mean I am expecting it to increase,” said Gutierrez. “Currently we haven’t been affected just yet but we are still waiting to see what happens.”
Moving forward, Rendon said if prices get too high on what he called an already pricey item, they may just take the item off the menu altogether.
“If they keep going up on prices like I said we don’t use it on many things, and I’d hate to go up on a side of avocado that we have already had to go up on it,” said Rendon. “Sometimes it’s better to just cut your losses and say we’re just not going to have it anymore.”
[ad_2]
Source link
