Avocado prices in the US jumped by nearly 50% in April Donald Trump threatened to shut the US-Mexico border over immigrationVendors sell fruit at stalls on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam. File photo: GETTY IMAGES/ BLOOMBERG/ LUONG THAI LINH
The US imported more than 900,000 tons of Mexican avocados in 2018 worth nearly $2.1bn, 10 times the value it buys from the rest of the world, according to crop forecaster Gro Intelligence. “Avocados are increasingly seen as a quality fruit that can be used in cooking and beauty products for women,” said Le Van Duc, deputy head of the department of crop production at Vietnam’s agriculture ministry.That trend has also been driven by weak coffee prices, which have prompted Vietnamese farmers to switch to other crops, including avocados, according to Duc’s department.