An average of two to three avocado producers are assaulted every week in the municipality of Uruapan, where municipal authorities have been unable to control the increasing violence, and there have even been murders to strip employees, distributors, and producers themselves from their cash.
According to Ivan Vargas Aguilar, the president of the Local Board of Plant Health of Uruapan, organized crime is colluding with banking institutions and they are operating in coordination.
"The production is not affected by criminal acts, however it is affected by organized crime as there are kidnappings, theft of goods, and assaults on producers. That's how it's affecting us the most. Several producers are afraid of retiring due to the algid situation of the municipality," denounced Vargas Aguilar.
He also said that the complaints made to the state and municipal authorities had no effect because the situation persisted without the intervention of government institutions.
"Things are practically the same, there still are assaults and threats. We ask state authorities to support us in the municipality of Uruapan regarding the crimes and assaults on producers because we are the ones providing the greatest economic benefit in the municipality," he said.
It should be noted that Uruapan has an area of ​​approximately 14,960 hectares of avocado cultivated by 4 thousand producers, which produce 168,588 tons of this fruit that leaves an economic spill of 10,000 million pesos.
Source: cbtelevision.com.mx