Mexican Avocado Producers join the UN Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 of Sustainable Development

 

•  Mexico is the main producer and exporter of avocado in the world.
•  APEAM is the only avocado association certified to export into the United States.
•  The objective is to register a sustainable-low carbon project for the production of avocados with the international standard VERRA.

 
The Mexican Association of Producers, Packers and Exporters of Avocado (APEAM) and ALLCOT Group signed an agreement to promote the responsible production of avocado. The project will boost the capture of carbon dioxide and produce a world class fruit through a series of environmentally friendly and sustainable development practices.
 
APEAM currently integrates the efforts of more than 29,000 producers, over 65 packing companies and more than 140,000 hectares of production and plant coverage which create 400,000 regional direct and indirect jobs in the State of Michoacán alone. With an important social impact, the ejidos and local indigenous communities make up half of the producers who are now successful entrepreneurs. APEAM is the only avocado association in Mexico certified to export into the United States.
 
Mexico is the main producer and exporter of avocado in the world. In 2020, Mexico produced more than two million tons of avocado, half of which came from the famous Michoacán Avocado Strip.
 
On this matter, Gabriel Villaseñor, President of APEAM said: “We export a million tons of avocado into the US every year. It has been a growing industry because we have a product of high nutritional value.  We are committed with strengthening our social and environmental responsibility. I am very happy with this alliance. There is an African proverb that says: when spiders join to weave a web, they can catch a lion, and this is precisely what we will do, great things.”
 
In the framework of its Sustainable Green Agenda, APEAM commits itself with improved management of soil, forest, water and biodiversity, care of pollinators, responsible use of agrochemicals and the recycling of empty containers to minimize the human impact to the environment.
 
“We know that at the global level, the challenges of every company center in being friendly with the environment, this is why we are very happy to take part in this project”, shared Armando Orduña, Director General of APEAM.
 
The agreement between APEAM and ALLCOT Group has the objective to register a sustainable-low carbon avocado production project with the recognized international standard VERRA.
 
Founded in 2009, ALLCOT is a project developer that offers knowledge, experience, and management for the reduction of greenhouse gases in line with the Paris Agreement, Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. ALLCOT has a portfolio of 66 projects in 14 countries, accounting for 8 million tons of CO2 reductions, and has expanded in México and Latin America to support the transition towards low carbon development in the agriculture, forestry, energy, waste and other sectors.
 
Accordingly, Alexis Leroy, CEO of ALLCOT Group assured: “I appreciate this collaboration with APEAM to strengthen sustainable practices in such an emblematic industry for Mexico. This is the first sectorial project of its kind and will be based on a strict methodology for the improvement of agricultural practices to increase the storage of organic carbon in the soil.”   
 
VERRA is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s greatest environmental and social challenges by developing and managing standards that help the private sector, countries, and civil society achieve ambitious sustainable development and climate action goals.
 
Finally, David Antonioli, CEO of VERRA concluded: “To put it into context, we are the most used standard in voluntary carbon markets today where we certify emission reductions of greenhouse gasses. I believe this is the first initiative with such a scale of producers seeking to certify their actions. I congratulate you for taking such an important step forward”.