Avocados are truly spectacular food. Packed full of good fats, carotenoids, folate, and yes, even cancer-fighting nutrients, some have argued that the avocado could be the world’s most perfect food. Just a single bite of this creamy, earthy fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) and you’ll find it difficult to argue with this superlative.
© Image | Google
If it seems too good to be true, you might just be right. I recently learned that like diamonds, avocados have a dark and bloody side that almost no one knows about. © Image | Google The avocado tree is native to Mexico and Central America, so it comes as no surprise that this region still produces most of the world’s supply.
Farmers are thinning out, and despite the Mexican government’s attempts at regulating the practice, they are eradicating vast amounts of pine forests to plant avocado trees, in order to meet the ever-growing demand. They first plant them under the canopy and then trim back to the forest, making it almost impossible to detect the illegal activity from above.
© Image | MIC
Money is the driving force behind it all. In fact, the avocado market is so lucrative that even deadly drug cartels, such as the Knights Templar, are involved in the business. Bizarre, but true. However, Mexico is not the only victim of the almost sinful fruit. Due to a large amount of water required to grow the trees, the ongoing drought in California has been having devastating effects on the crop, damaging the local economy as well as the environment. © Image | newsy
In fact, it takes a staggering 272 liters of water to grow avocado trees. That’s a ridiculous amount of water, especially if you compare it to the 24 liters needed to grow half a kilo of tomatoes. So it’s not just the meat and dairy industry that have damaging consequences for the environment; now you can add avocado to the group too. It’s a sad reality, one that many might struggle to accept, I’m sure. © Image | Google
In Western Mexico, “avocado farms occupy vast stretches of land, and the rows of low-growing trees resemble the olive gardens of southern Europe,” writes Jan-Albert Hootsen for Vocativ.com. © Image | Google
This idyllic setting indicates nothing of the sinister side of the avocado trade, however. © Image | BBC
In Michoacán, a state in western Mexico, the avocado is commonly referred to as oro verde, green gold, because it yields more cash than any other crop—including marijuana. And anytime there’s money to be made, corruption isn’t far behind. “A drug cartel known as the Caballeros Templarios, the Knights Templar, has infiltrated the avocado sector, and now controls the local trade, from production to distribution,” writes Hootsen. © Image | Google “The cartel derived from an earlier group of drug traffickers known as La Familia Michoacana…Not content to traffic marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, La Familia set up a variety of extortion rackets in Michoacán. The avocado business was one of them.” Now, farmers must deal with constant extortion and the reality that The Templarios could take over their plantations and packing plants whenever they want. © Image | BBC
The cartel always gets what it wants, both from the avocado farmers and the government bodies that are supposed to regulate them. Through bribes and the threat of violence, Templarios have gained access to official lists of farmers, how much land they cultivate, and how much they produce. This way, the criminals know exactly how much money to demand from the farmers. Some rich farmers can build an armed force to protect themselves, but these poor farmers maybe not so lucky! © Image | BBC
“Every link in the avocado production chain is a cash cow for the cartel, from the quadrilles, or pickers (whose employment agencies are forced to pay $3.50 per worker per day), to those who buy, develop and sell plantations,” writes Hootsen. “The extortion racket is lucrative. In some municipalities, the estimated proceeds come to $3 million per year.” © Image | BBC
The truly horrifying part is that unlike drugs and human trafficking (the other favorite pastimes of the cartel) we are all culpable. © Image | BBC
More than 80 percent of Michoacán’s avocados are exported to the United States. That means every time we crack open one of these precious green fruits, every time we dip a chip into a bowl of guacamole, we’re helping to fuel the cartel’s violent takeover of the avocado industry in Mexico. © Image | BBC
Every time we open up a green and vibrant avocado, we should think about the horrifying event that’s happening every moment. Share to let your friends know!
SOURCE |BBC/Care2/The Guardian
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The Horrifying Truth About Avocados!
