Mexico's Defense Department has deployed 660 military personnel, including soldiers and militarized National Guard officers, to Michoacán, a critical lime-producing region. This deployment, which began on October 1 under President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration, aims to protect the agricultural sector from cartel extortion. The military's focus is on safeguarding packing houses, ensuring safe transport of lime shipments, and securing wholesale markets in key production zones like Apatzingan, Aguililla, and Buenavista.
This action follows recent disturbances where over half of Michoacán's lime packing warehouses were temporarily shut down in August due to threats from cartels, including Los Viagras, demanding a share of growers' profits. The situation has also led to significantly inflated prices for basic goods in areas like Apatzingan, where cartel influence causes prices to almost double. Within a week of deployment, forces have confiscated 10 firearms and two grenades. The state government had previously attributed the August shutdowns to producer dissatisfaction with market prices rather than cartel activity.
While this deployment specifically addresses lime production, Michoacán is also a major global producer of avocados, accounting for nearly a third of the world's supply and approximately 80% of avocados consumed in the United States. In 2025, Mexico sold $3.65 billion worth of avocados to the US. The avocado industry has also been heavily impacted by cartel violence and extortion, leading the US to temporarily suspend all government activities in Michoacán in August due to a threat against American interests, including the inspection of avocados for export. The US travel advisory designates Michoacán as a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" area.
