The US will completely run out of avocadoes in just three weeks if Donald Trump shuts down the countrys southern border with Mexico.
Steve Barnard, president and chief executive of Mission Produce – the worlds largest avocado distributor – said Americas supermarket shelves would empty of avocadoes in less than a month if the president follows through with his threat to shut the border this week. .
On Friday, Trump announced that there was a very good likelihood that he would close the border this week unless Mexican authorities immediately halt illegal immigration. Such a move could also end up devastating guacamole enthusiasts and avocado toast aficionados across the country.
Nearly half of vegetables and 40% of the green fruit imported into the US currently come from Mexico – including nearly all of the countrys avocados, according to NBC.
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You couldnt pick a worse time of year because Mexico supplies virtually 100% of avocados in the US right Now, Barnard said.
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California is just starting and they have a very small crop, but their not relevant right now and wont be for another month or so.
If imports from the south are discontinued, Americans will be hard-pressed to get their green, creamy fix. The fruits have a notoriously temperamental shelf life, which rules out stocking up on them. Out in the open air, an avocado will go bad in three to four days, although they may last a week in a refrigerator.
A shutdown of the US-Mexico border would have many costly ramifications, aside from creating a shortage of one of the most popular sources of healthy fats. It would also disrupt nearly $137 billion dollars in food trade between the US and its southern neighbor – which is likely to raise produce prices across the country.
METRO
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