如果你昨晚看了超級碗比賽,那你大概也看到了墨西哥牛油果的宣傳廣告,后者堪稱是美國的墨西哥牛油果進口商團體的宣傳利器。
這則價值700萬美元的30秒廣告旨在懇求觀眾在舉辦車尾派對時別忘了準備些墨西哥牛油果,因為“它們一直很好”。
牛油果的確一直很好,但不一定總是可以買到。就在今年的超級碗比賽前夕,按理來說也應該是牛油果醬的盛大狂歡之夜,美國暫停了墨西哥牛油果進口。
美國農業部動植物衛生檢驗局表示,一名官員在工作手機上接到了一通威脅電話后,該局暫停了針對米卻肯州牛油果的檢查工作。米卻肯州是墨西哥唯一一個獲準向美國出口牛油果的州,也是販毒集團地盤爭奪戰的目標,那里的牛油果種植者時常會受到販毒集團的敲詐勒索。
墨西哥農業部表示,過去六周,米卻肯州的牛油果生產商向美國出口了逾13.5萬噸牛油果,全年出口總額約為30億美元。
美國人在冬季吃到的絕大多數的牛油果(約為99%)均來自墨西哥。墨西哥是世界上最大的牛油果生產國和出口國,雖然加利福尼亞出產的牛油果也遍賣全美,但由于加州降雨量較低,該州的牛油果個頭及產量規模相對較小。
之前由于供不應求,牛油果的身價已經瘋漲了一輪,而暫停墨西哥的牛油果進口可能會使其變得過于昂貴又很難買到。
美國農業部動植物衛生檢驗局稱目前正在調查此事以進行威脅評估,并確定需要采取何種措施以保證其在米卻肯州的工作人員的人身安全。
與此同時,墨西哥牛油果出口生產商和包裝商協會表示,他們正在與地方當局合作以盡快解決這一問題,并指出,暫停出口的決定已影響到了30萬個有關就業崗位。該協會在一份聲明中表示:“我們希望這一價值鏈上的所有相關人員都能保持極端謹慎和警惕,以保護這一至關重要的出口項目。”
因為美國自己也種牛油果,這些美國檢查員的工作就是要確保墨西哥出口的牛油果不攜帶任何可能會危害美國作物的有害生物。1914年,受墨西哥產品影響,象鼻蟲、瘡痂病和害蟲等病蟲害在美國果園開始滋生蔓延,美國因而對墨西哥牛油果實施了進口禁令,直到1997年該禁令才得以解除。(財富中文網)
譯者:Claire
如果你昨晚看了超級碗比賽,那你大概也看到了墨西哥牛油果的宣傳廣告,后者堪稱是美國的墨西哥牛油果進口商團體的宣傳利器。
這則價值700萬美元的30秒廣告旨在懇求觀眾在舉辦車尾派對時別忘了準備些墨西哥牛油果,因為“它們一直很好”。
牛油果的確一直很好,但不一定總是可以買到。就在今年的超級碗比賽前夕,按理來說也應該是牛油果醬的盛大狂歡之夜,美國暫停了墨西哥牛油果進口。
美國農業部動植物衛生檢驗局表示,一名官員在工作手機上接到了一通威脅電話后,該局暫停了針對米卻肯州牛油果的檢查工作。米卻肯州是墨西哥唯一一個獲準向美國出口牛油果的州,也是販毒集團地盤爭奪戰的目標,那里的牛油果種植者時常會受到販毒集團的敲詐勒索。
墨西哥農業部表示,過去六周,米卻肯州的牛油果生產商向美國出口了逾13.5萬噸牛油果,全年出口總額約為30億美元。
美國人在冬季吃到的絕大多數的牛油果(約為99%)均來自墨西哥。墨西哥是世界上最大的牛油果生產國和出口國,雖然加利福尼亞出產的牛油果也遍賣全美,但由于加州降雨量較低,該州的牛油果個頭及產量規模相對較小。
之前由于供不應求,牛油果的身價已經瘋漲了一輪,而暫停墨西哥的牛油果進口可能會使其變得過于昂貴又很難買到。
美國農業部動植物衛生檢驗局稱目前正在調查此事以進行威脅評估,并確定需要采取何種措施以保證其在米卻肯州的工作人員的人身安全。
與此同時,墨西哥牛油果出口生產商和包裝商協會表示,他們正在與地方當局合作以盡快解決這一問題,并指出,暫停出口的決定已影響到了30萬個有關就業崗位。該協會在一份聲明中表示:“我們希望這一價值鏈上的所有相關人員都能保持極端謹慎和警惕,以保護這一至關重要的出口項目。”
因為美國自己也種牛油果,這些美國檢查員的工作就是要確保墨西哥出口的牛油果不攜帶任何可能會危害美國作物的有害生物。1914年,受墨西哥產品影響,象鼻蟲、瘡痂病和害蟲等病蟲害在美國果園開始滋生蔓延,美國因而對墨西哥牛油果實施了進口禁令,直到1997年該禁令才得以解除。(財富中文網)
譯者:Claire
If you were watching the Super Bowl last night, you may have caught a commercial for Avocados from Mexico, the marketing arm of business organizations that represent U.S. importers of avocados from Mexico.
At a cost of $7 million per 30-seconds of airtime, the spot implored viewers to use avocados from Mexico at tailgate parties because “they’re always good.”
Always good, perhaps, but not always available. On Super Bowl eve, arguably guacamole’s biggest night, the U.S. suspended avocado imports from Mexico.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) said it had paused its avocado inspections in Michoacan after one of its officers received a threatening call to his official cell phone. Michoacan is the only Mexican state that is authorized to export avocados to the U.S., but the area is also home to drug cartel turf battles, and avocado growers there are sometimes extorted by cartels.
In the past six weeks, Michoacan avocado producers have exported more than 135,000 tons of avocados to the United States, the Mexican Agriculture Ministry said, and there are about $3 billion in annual exports.
During the winter months, the vast majority of avocados in the U.S.— about 99%—come from Mexico. Mexico is the leading producer and exporter of avocados globally, and while California-grown avocados are also sold throughout the U.S., but low rainfall in the state has led to smaller fruit and a smaller crop size.
A previous shortage of avocados has led to a large increase in price, and the blockage of imports from Mexico will likely make them exorbitantly expensive and rare.
The APHIS-USDA said they are currently investigating the matter to assess the level of threat and decide how to keep personnel working in Michoacan safe.
The Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM), meanwhile, said that they were working with local authorities to fix the problem as quickly as possible, noting that the 300,000 jobs associated with the industry have already been impacted by the decision to pause exports. “We encourage all those actors in this value chain to take extreme care and vigilance to preserve such an important export program," the APEAM said in a statement.
Because the United States grows its own avocados, U.S. inspectors in Mexico work to make sure exported avocados don’t come with diseases that would hurt U.S. crops. In 1914, weevils, scabs, and pests entered U.S. orchards from Mexican products, which led to a ban on importing avocados from the country that wasn’t lifted until 1997.