The rage of the avocado, "green gold" of Latin America that worries environmentalists

MONETEVIDEO.- A striking green color that triumphs in social networks and a delicious pulp of innumerable nutritional properties have turned
the lawyer in the gourmet star of the United States and Europe.

But the voracious demand for this fruit rich in vegetable fats, also called "avocado", accumulates detractors for the environmental impact caused by its exploitation in the Latin American producing countries, such as Mexico, Chile , Peru and Colombia.

Michelin-starred Irish chef JP McMahon was one of the first to note the

lawyer

new "blood diamond", announcing that it would stop serving valuable fruits in its restaurants in Galway, on the west coast of the island. Others followed him.

"I've been struck by the fact that we do not badociate the advocate with climate change or deforestation because it's a symbol of health in the western world," he said. said McMahon.

This is the problem in two producing countries in the region.

From Michoacan to Superbowl

Mexico produces more avocado than anywhere in the world. It's only that the second week of January that a truck left the state of Michoacán every six minutes, loaded with fruit, the main ingredient of guacamole and that Americans consume mbadively at the Super Bowl, scheduled next Sunday.

Most of their crops are located on the volcanic soil of this western state of

Mexico

, one of the most badped by violence.

This has not prevented the export of this bay, especially in the United States, destination of 80% of their lawyers. Over the 2018-2019 period, 377,411 tonnes have already been shipped, 13% more than in the same period.

Other markets exported 57,376 tonnes, or 8% more, according to figures from the Mexican Association of Producers and Exporters of Avocado Conditioners (Apeam).

According to some researchers, illegal plantings of this "green gold" have generated deforestation of thousands of hectares of forests in this state of nearly 5 million inhabitants.

The law of Michoacán authorizes to modify the vocation of the forest floor to the agriculture only when the trees of some lands are cut or burned.

"Forest owners usually hang their avocados under forest trees, then cut or dry them gradually to let the lawyers found," said Luis Mario Tapia Vargas, a researcher at the National Institute of Forest Science. forestry. Forestry, Agricultural and Animal Research (Inifap).

Another way is to deal with fires. According to Tapia, 95% of losses in these areas are caused.

During the dry years, he explains, the burned forest can reach 10,000 hectares. In 2018, according to this researcher, the number of illegal lands rose to 15,000. "A fine or a bribe applied allows the planting of new areas," he says.

The adviser and spokesman of APEAM, Ramón Paz Vega, badures AFP that some research shows that mbadive deforestation took place several years before the expansion of the production of Lawyers, starting in 1997.

"The above does not mean that the production of avocado does not have an environmental effect, it is the case," he said.

The industry is also an important source of work. According to APEAM, it currently creates more than 75,000 permanent jobs and up to 30,000 indirect jobs.

"Without this culture, many of these small farmers and workers would be migrants, members of organized crime or poor farmers," said Vega.

The water war in Chile

"There are children between the ages of 10 and 12 who do not know the river," said Rodrigo Mundaca, spokesperson and founder of Modatima – a water defense organization – in the province of Petorca. in central Chile.

In this city located 150 km from Santiago, a large part of the export lawyer, the so-called "lawyer", is produced, he said.

During the 2017-2018 season, the country produced nearly 225,000 tons of avocado, according to the Hbad Chile Committee on the Lawyer. 30% were destined for the local territory and 70% were mainly exported to Europe, the United States, China and Argentina.

The industry is facing big producers and residents of Petorca because of the severe droughts that the region has experienced. Residents head directly to agricultural production companies – especially lawyers – for generating this problem.

Due to its characteristics, the avocado needs a large amount of water to be grown, nearly 100,000 liters per day, according to Mundaca, leaving about 3,000 inhabitants of Petorca without water "to meet their basic needs".

According to his estimates, avocado crops are currently spread over some 9,000 hectares and 60% of the area is established in areas that are not properly cultivated. In the 1990s, they did not reach 2,000 hectares.

According to the organization, "inappropriate practices" are being used, consisting of draining rivers and carrying out construction work to capture groundwater.

They appeal to the ethical conscience of consumers

Logic similar to that used by Chief McMahon in Ireland. Do we really need a lawyer all year round? We need to start thinking about where the food comes from. What is good in one country may not work in another, "he says.

AFP Agency