As Mexico is the world’s biggest producer and exporter of avocados, its current share of the global avocado market is 30%. Three-quarters of these avocados come from Michoacán, which is a region that is burdened by drug-related violence. Avocado producers from Michoacán are now taking up arms are getting organized into self-defense groups to fight against criminal groups.
The money that is involved in the growing business of avocado has not only attracted businesses but also criminal groups to Michoacán. Over the last years, drug cartels such as the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cárteles Unidos, and los Viagras have increased their presence in state.
Agroberichtenbuitenland.nl reports that to combat the growing violence of such criminal groups, some 3.000 people from four municipalities in Michoacán (Arios de Rosales, Salvador Escalante, Nuevo Urecho, and Taretan) have recently started to organize themselves in a self-defense group, which is called Pueblos Unidos (United Villages).
