STORY: U.S. consumers will foot the bill as tariff kicks in: Mexican avocado industry insiders
SHOOTING TIME: recent footage
DATELINE: Feb. 3, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:51
LOCATION: Mexico City
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of avocado garden Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JESUS ANTONIO GAONA, Mexican agroecologist
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): ENRIQUE BAUTISTA VILLEGAS, Mexican avocado farmer
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Spanish): ENRIQUE BAUTISTA VILLEGAS, Mexican avocado farmer

STORYLINE:

Mexican avocado industry insiders have warned that the U.S. consumers will foot the bill as tariff kicks in.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Saturday last week to impose a 25-percent tariff on imports from Mexico.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JESUS ANTONIO GAONA, Mexican agroecologist
"Avocado is one of the main crops generating economic revenue with our neighboring country (the U.S.). Under the current circumstances, growers' concerns are growing."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): ENRIQUE BAUTISTA VILLEGAS, Mexican avocado farmer
"If I buy an avocado for one dollar per day, and one day I have to pay 1.5 dollars, as a consumer, it will affect me if I buy it, and I might prefer not to buy it."

According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. market accounts for approximately 80 percent of Mexico's total avocado exports.

Growers typically closely monitor market price fluctuations and choose to harvest when the prices are favorable.

The Mexican agroecologist said that the tariffs could lead to increased costs and prices across all segments of the local industry chain, including planting, harvesting, processing, and transportation, ultimately passing these costs on to consumers.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Spanish): ENRIQUE BAUTISTA VILLEGAS, Mexican avocado farmer
"The cost of the tariff will ultimately be reflected in the price, leading to market imbalances. This will not only affect producers like us who export to the U.S., but also significantly impact American consumers. The first to be affected will be the U.S. market, and it will be the American consumers who bear the cost at the end."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Mexico City.
(XHTV)