MEXICAN EXPORTS THREATEN FARMERS U.S. MAY ALLOW MORE AVOCADOS; PESTS FEARED.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

MOORPARK - U.S. regulators may soon lift a California ban on imports of Mexican-grown avocados, a move that will likely drain more than $100 million from one of the state's most deeply rooted industries.

A proposal to open the door to Mexican avocados could reduce annual revenue for California producers by 30 percent, according to an analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With California's avocado industry generating about $340 million in annual revenue, the state is among the most prolific producers of the green fruit.

Consumers could also see the price of avocados drop, with wholesale prices expected to decline by about 20 percent. Although the ruling is at least two months from taking shape, California avocado growers are now questioning the future of their soil.

The growers' greatest fears stem from a new breed of crop-destroying insects that could accompany fruit from Mexico. Known as the seed weevil, this snout-nosed beetle has a proclivity for eating nuts, fruits, stems and roots. Even though California avocado orchards have never had to deal with the pest, growers are concerned that the weevil could be carried in by avocados trucked in from Mexico.

``The threat is significant. For many years there have been restrictions on Mexican avocados because of the seed weevil problem. And that problem has not gone away,'' said David Schwabauer, managing partner of Leavens Ranch, which oversees nearly 300 acres of avocado trees in Moorpark.

``The lifting of the ban has everything to do with trade, and I think the U.S. has just decided to throw a bone to the Mexican government without understanding the science of this threat.''

The U.S. Department of Agriculture imposed a blanket ban on Mexican avocados between 1914 and the mid-1990s amid concerns that traveling insects would contaminate domestic orchards.

Recently those fears were debunked after the Animal and Plant Health Inspection did a series of inspections on avocado orchards in the central Mexican state of Michoacan.

For almost a decade, the Mexican government has appealed to U.S. authorities to allow exports of the Hass variety of avocados. Finally, the USDA decided to ease restrictions in the late 1990s, allowing the shipment of Mexican avocados to 31 states, mostly throughout the Northeast and Midwest.

In November 2000, the Mexican government once again requested that the Department of Agriculture amend the regulations and allow the year-round shipment of avocados to 50 states, including California.

The USDA responded by issuing a proposal to approve Mexico's request. The department is gathering comments from the industry before officially amending the regulations as early as this summer.

``We have strong concerns about what this means to growers in terms of the possibility of pest infestation, along with the eventual economic outcome,'' said Tom Bellamore, senior vice president and corporate counsel for the California Avocado Commission.

Growers throughout the state have long been able to cope with different elements, including weather and occasional insect infestations. Larry Rose, sales manager of the 30-acre Brokaw Nursery in Saticoy, said millions of dollars are spent every year to avoid pests, including ``thrips,'' which are of Mexican origin. The insect causes an avocado to shrivel up like a potato, reducing the value of the fruit by more than 60 percent.

``In the good old days, the USDA was exclusionary from foreign avocados entering the market so we didn't have to worry about these things,'' Rose said. ``But these new bugs have time on their side and they'll be here soon.''

If the new regulations pass, Mexican avocado imports would be delayed up to a year in California, Hawaii and Florida.

Bellamore said fruit volumes are constantly shifting in the United States, and a greater volume of avocados could theoretically drive more demand. In the past, June has always been a strong month for the California avocado. That's because supply levels drop off from competing producers in Mexico and Chile.

Bob Gloeckler, a district manager in Santa Paula for avocado company Calavo, is looking forward to a productive June. So far, all of his fruit is clean - without any pests.

``And I have dealt with almost every pest imaginable,'' he said.

Gloeckler's gripe is that if Mexico and Chile are able to export avocados, U.S. growers should have the ability to export their products.

``It doesn't make much sense,'' he said. ``We can't ship into Mexico but they can ship in the U.S.?''

Bellamore remains vigilant about the prospect.

``We'll just have to see how the lifting of such a ban will affect consumers. Some will probably like better prices. Others will probably not be happy about buying a product that was grown outside the country,'' he said.

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Bob Gloeckler, the district manager for Calavo in Santa Paula, holds a healthy avocado, right, beside a thrip-infected one. Thrips are tiny sucking insects that decimate plant crops.

(2 -- color) Calavo worker Irma Aguilar sorts avocados on a conveyor Thursday at the plant in Santa Paula.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer