The ‘green gold’ of Mexico – Avocado production, exports soar to feed growing demand north of the border

When Arturo Mendoza’s plot of corn could no longer sustain his family, he joined the stream of illegal immigrants heading toward the U.S. from rural Mexico. During lunch breaks at a California furniture factory, Mendoza would think of home as he wolfed down tortas with chicken and chunks of avocado.

Little did he know that the creamy, green fruit would be his salvation.

Exports of avocados from the state of Michoacan, the top source of both the fruit and immigrants to Chicago, have risen fivefold since 2004. Mendoza and other Mexican farmers have found that exporting the crop is lucrative enough under the North American Free Trade Agreement that they don’t need to go north to earn a living”*

*From: www.chicagotribune.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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