The lime industry in Michoacán’s Apatzingán Valley has resumed operations this week following an eight-day strike that was prompted by extortion demands and threats of violence from organized crime.
The strike and repeated pleas from growers, packers and distributors prompted authorities at both the federal and state level to send additional security forces to the region.
Extra police have been sent to the area, and there is also more support from the Civil Guard, Defense Ministry (Sedena) and National Guard, according to Mexico’s Security and Citizen Protection Ministry (SSPC).
The strike halted cutting, packaging and distribution in the Tierra Caliente region, known for its significant citrus production.
It also caused the price of limes to soar, reaching up to 60 pesos per kilogram in some areas — double the usual price. While painful for consumers, the increased price encouraged some producers to restart their activities last week despite the risks.
The strike began on Aug. 12 with 34 citrus packing plants fully or partially shutting down. Farmers stopped harvesting limes on more than 23,000 hectares in the Apatzingán, Buenavista and Tepalcatepec regions.
Michoacán is Mexico’s No. 2 producer of limes, and approximately 80% of the state’s annual production is concentrated in those three municipalities.
The crisis began when criminal groups — including Los Viagra, Cárteles Unidos and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to officials — intensified their extortion efforts, demanding payments at multiple stages of the supply chain.
According to reports, the groups had doubled their previous demands of one peso per kilo from the grower and one peso per kilo from the packer.
Farmers get paid between seven and eight pesos per kilo, which is already a low figure, according to the newspaper La Jornada, so the new extortion demands amounted to a big hit.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged the severity of the situation late last week, emphasizing that federal and state security forces were already in the area to address the growers’ complaints and provide free movement of trucks loaded with limes.
The economic losses caused by the strike are enormous and still unquantified, Michoacán Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla said at a Monday press conference. He also stressed that lime production remained unaffected in more than 21 municipalities.
Growers and packers continue to express concerns about the effectiveness of the measures, with many demanding more robust action against the criminal groups.
According to the newspaper El Universal, the leader of the Los Viagras Cartel was caught on tape calling for actions of retribution after security measures were increased. César “El Bótox” Arellano Sepúlveda gave orders on Saturday to block roads, place tire spikes on roads and possibly kill state and federal security forces.
Michoacán is no stranger to agricultural-related violence. The region also saw a major security incident in June involving U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors, leading to a temporary suspension of avocado and mango inspections.
As the lime industry struggles to move forward, the broader issue of extortion in Mexico’s agricultural sector remains unresolved, threatening both local economies and global markets.
With reports from El Universal, El Financiero and La Jornada
