Can you imagine a world without Avocado Toast?
I just did and I nearly fell out of my chair typing that first sentence.
It’s a scenario I imagine most try not to even entertain but if Trump is successful in shutting down the border — imports from Mexico will dramatically decrease.
….which means no more avocados….or avocado toast…avocado ranch…guacamole…and the list goes on.
I am sure you are pretty shaken up about this and rightfully so.
Let’s revisit brass tacks, shall we?
That always makes me feel better.
Almost 40 percent of the fruits (avocados are technically fruits and if you don’t believe me you can click here) as well as close to half of all the vegetables from the US imports is grown in Mexico.
Most of our alcohol is imported from Mexico as well — which means tequila, limes, tomatoes, cucumbers, blackberries and raspberries will be down for the count as well to name just a few headliners.
And according to the latest data from the United States Department of Agriculture — supplies would run out in just three weeks if imports from Mexico were halted.
Three. Weeks. People.
President and chief executive of Mission Produce, Steve Barnard, is the largest distributor as well as grower of avocados in the world.
Recently, he shared with Business Insider:
“You couldn’t pick a worse time of year because Mexico supplies virtually 100% of the avocados in the US right now. California is just starting and they have a very small crop, but they’re not relevant right now and won’t be for another month or so.”
And while the wall has been on Trump’s wish list for quite some time, the likelihood of him closing the border continues to grow each and every day that comes our way.
A shutdown of the border would be chaotic to say the least for both countries — as it would disrupt millions of legal border crossings and asylum seekers, along with heavily impacting trade.
Close to $137 billion of trade between the countries is food.
Principal at Quarterra (a consulting specializing in Latin American agricultural issues and trade) Monica Ganley said:
“When a border is closed or barriers to trade are put in place, I absolutely expect there would be an impact on consumers. We’re absolutely going to see higher prices. This is a very real and very relevant concern for American consumers.”
But it’s not just Mexico’s exports that would be affected — as the country is also the biggest importer of US exports of refined fuels — aka diesel and gasoline.
And while much of this is transported by rail — it is unclear if the railways would be affected by the shutdown.
Imports to the US from Mexico have almost tripled since 1999, with Mexico supplying close to 44 percent of America’s imported produce.
And while prices in supermarkets have yet to be affected, the food companies are the ones who are already feeling the pinch should the worst possible scenario happen — Barnard adding:
“We would be out of business for a while.”
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