Avocados from Mexico and Argentine lemons are seeing mixed results. Coastal California lemon and avocado growers know well the challenges of climate change and foreign competition. Nevertheless, agricultural output in Ventura County grosses about $2 billion annually.
The Argentine citrus is said to be coming in at prices under the cost of production for U.S. growers, particularly those in California where the cost of production tends to run higher than elsewhere in the U.S. It is said that it costs less to ship lemons from South America to East Coast ports than it does to truck them cross-country.
Mexican avocado imports are having their effects too, but as the Avocados from Mexico marketing campaign is boosting consumer demand, U.S. growers are eager to supply more goods. Another benefit to the large Mexican avocado crop is the stabilization of price. Because avocados alternate bear – heavy crops one year and a lighter crop the next – the price swings would cause growers to grumble during those "on" year heavy crops as prices tanked.
Source: farmprogress.com
