Avocado spat with Mexico puts California farmers in spotlight

LOS ANGELES — A security spat between the U.S. and Mexico that threatens the avocado supply in the U.S. is putting the spotlight on California farmers, a major U.S. supplier of the fruit.

The U.S. on Friday suspended all avocado imports from Michoacán, the only Mexican state approved for avocado exports, after a U.S. plant inspector there received a threatening phone call.

California produces the majority of U.S.-grown avocados, meeting about 10% of the nation’s consumption. The rest is imported, mainly from Mexico, and farmers fear a prolonged ban could squeeze the market in a way they aren’t prepared to handle.

U.S. officials didn’t elaborate on the nature of the threat against the U.S. Department of Agriculture employee in Michoacán, a coastal state just west