The pandemic won’t stop Mexico from sending huge volumes of avocados to the US in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. The Mexican Association of Avocado Producers, Packers and Exporters (APEAM) expects just over 132,000 tons will be sent north of the border before next month’s big game. That would be a 4% increase compared to 2020, when just under 127,000 tons of avocados were exported to the U.S. before the National Football League championship game. Avocados are in high-demand in the United States prior to the Super Bowl because guacamole is a popular snack for football lovers glued to their screens.
Michoacán, Mexico’s largest avocado producer, is the only state in the country with certification to export the fruit to the United States. Approximately 84% of all avocados grown there are sent across Mexico’s northern border. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the global economy, exports of avocados from Mexico – which is easily the world’s biggest producer of the fruit – increased 12% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019. After the U.S., the main markets are Canada, Japan and China but Mexican avocados are also sent to Europe, South America and the Middle East.