Mexico leader on US suspension of avocado imports

Mexico's president said Monday the U.S. suspension on avocado imports and other recent environmental sanctions are part of a conspiracy against his country by political or economic interests.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador on one hand downplayed the measure, saying avocados for the Super Bowl had already been shipped north and consumed.

"The truth is that Mexican avocados have already been exported," he said at his daily news briefing.

On the other hand, the president said producers who wanted to compete with Mexican products, or political factors, played a role in the decision.

"In all of this there are also a lot of political interests and political interests, there is competition, they don't want Mexican avocados to get into the United States, right, because it would rule in the United States because of its quality," López Obrador said.

He did not explain what those interests were, but noted ominously "there are other countries that are interested in selling avocados, as in the case of other farm products, so they lobby, they look for senators, professional public (relations) people and agencies, to put up obstacles."

In fact, the U.S. grows about half the avocados it consumes and to protect domestic orchards from pests, inspects imported avocados - nearly 90% of which came from Mexico in recent years.

On Saturday, the U.S. government suspended all imports of Mexican avocados "until further notice" after one of those U.S. plant safety inspectors in Mexico received a threatening message.

Avocado growers in Mexico have been the victims of drug cartel turf battles and extortion in the western state of Michoacan, the only state in Mexico fully authorized to export to the U.S. market.