Avocado production is important to the economy of Mexico with the country being the world's largest producer of the crop. Mexico supplies 45 percent of the international avocado market. Of the 57 avocado producing countries, the other major producers are Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia, and Indonesia, in that order.
The 'Avocado Belt of the Mexican Republic' includes Michoacán and the State of Mexico. The major cultivars in Mexico are Fuerte, Hass, Bacon, Reed, Criollor, and Zutano.
Background
Avocado is native to Central Mexico where its ancient history, established by archaeological evidence from Claude Earle Smith Jr., who discovered avocado cotyledon remains within deposits of the Coxcatlán Cave, in Tehuacán, in Puebla state, that date back to about 10,000 years ago. Nuevo León state has remnants of primitive avocado trees. It spread to other countries in the Americas including the United States. It is a "functional food" in the Americas; the many varieties which grow in Mexico suit the climatic conditions.
Ancient residents of Mexico including the Aztecs and other indigenous groups thought that the form of a fruit contributed to its properties. Therefore, eating avocado promoted strength and virility. 16th-century Spanish colonial documentation of Indian medicinal plant usage reaffirms this association, noting the fruit's reputation as an aphrodisiac, as well as its propensity for aiding childbirth and reducing inflammation and indigestion. The avocado likely also held cultural meaning for the Maya, who believed in the rebirth of their ancestors as trees and were therefore known to surround their houses with fruit trees, including avocados.
In the 1950s, orchards of Fuerte cultivar were established; two decades later, orchards of Hass cultivar were established, and it became the country's leading cultivar. This cultivar emerged when a postal worker in Southern California, Rudolph Hass, took a leap of faith to purchase a small 1.5-acre grove in La Habra Heights to experiment with growing high-yield avocado trees. The graft he settled upon and patented in 1935 was predominantly Guatemalan with some Mexican genes. It produced fruits that were a darker shade of purple than many were accustomed to, but was tastier, less oily, and kept better. Hass’ profits from his patent through its expiration in 1960 summed a meager $4800. Today, more than 85% of avocados grown globally are of the Hass variety. Hass avocados have shown susceptibility to pests such as Persea mites and avocado thrips.
In 2007, the avocado was Mexico's fifth-ranked fruit crop. Being a staple food, the majority of avocados produced in Mexico are consumed in the country. Fresh domestic consumption for 2010-11 was forecast at , representing an 8.45 percent increase over the previous year.
Production
Mexican avocado production is concentrated in Michoacán state in west central Mexico. Accounting for 92% of the country's production of the crop, Michoacán leads the world in avocado production, with approximately . The yield reported from Michoacán is and can reach up to , much higher than comparable figures in the U.S. state of California.
The favourable conditions for large production in the country is on account of availability of land, cheap labour, and rainfall pattern. Harvesting techniques incorporate hand‐held poles and baskets, picking the crop when it is mature, though still hard. In 1985, production estimates were .
During the period 2001 to 2011, its production increased from to . During the same period, exports from Mexico, which was the largest among all countries, increased from to . As of 2003, the land area under this cultivar was with a production of a year.
As of 2013, FAO reported 21,511 producers of avocado in Mexico out of which 10,000 were from Michoacán. This also created 279 packinghouses and domestic traders and 17 packinghouses/exporters. Fourteen processing industries came to be established which produced products such as guacamole, pulp, halves, frozen products, beverages and non-refined oil. These activities created more than 40,000 direct jobs, about 70,000 seasonal jobs, and more than 180,000 indirect permanent jobs in farming, harvesting, packing, transporting, and marketing.
Tancítaro, Michoacán has declared itself "the avocado capital of the world" and holds an annual Avocado Festival.