Images by Alfredo Estrella. Video by Alfred Davies
In one of Mexico’s most violent regions, empty plots of land sit amid limestone and banana plantations – abandoned by their owners because of widespread threats of extortion in Latin America’s second-largest economy.
As in many other agricultural areas of the country, criminal gangs in the western state of Michoacan have become a major market force, driving up costs and harming not only farmers but also consumers.
Take limes, for example: According to the Agricultural Market Consulting Group (GCMA), the cost of citrus fruits rose more than 50 percent last year despite a nationwide production increase and a slowdown in consumer price inflation. a consulting company.
The impact is huge in a country where limes are an important ingredient in many dishes.
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“Prices are going through the roof!” said Gabriela Jacobo, a 53-year-old housewife who now only buys a few limes a week.
The threat from organized crime is so great that trucks transporting limes now have police escorts, AFP reporters saw during a visit to the region.
The impact was felt even in Mexico City, where drug and gang violence is often seen as a distant problem and the ability to source food from across the country eases supply problems.
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The price of limes in the capital doubled, reaching almost $4.5 per kilo ($2 per pound) in August.
“It’s not because of a supply problem, but because of extortion,” said GCMA analyst Juan Carlos Anaya.
In Michoacan, which is the size of Costa Rica, there are bloody turf wars between rival gangs such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Los Viagras and La Familia Michoacana.
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Not only do they fight over drug smuggling routes, but they also compete to make money through extortion.
Payment comes in the form of an 11 US cent fee for packing each kilo of limes, a farmer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
It may not sound like much, but the region can produce around 900 tons of fruit every day.
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Before, “the criminals had their fights, but they let us work. Now they don’t even let us work,” said the farmer.
Tomato, banana and mango producers as well as transporters and traders also have to pay the gangs, he said.
“They put a price on everything,” he added.
According to official figures, extortion and theft cost companies in Mexico around 120 billion pesos (US$6.8 billion) annually, which corresponds to 0.67 percent of the country’s annual economic output.
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In the southern state of Chiapas, extortion and violence have led to food shortages in communities bordering Guatemala.
“There is no electricity. There is no food. There is no water. There is no gas,” a resident told AFP.
The region has been hit by a turf war between the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels that has led to dozens of business closures and forced locals to buy supplies at higher costs in Guatemala.
Even the ingredients for tortillas – a Mexican staple – are purchased across the border.
Cities such as Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern state of Guerrero, have also seen widespread closures of chicken shops in the past after the murders of farmers and traders who allegedly refused to pay extortions.
Avocado farmers have also fallen victim to the fight for control of Michoacan’s agricultural wealth.
Last year, the United States briefly suspended imports of avocados from the state after a U.S. inspector who was checking export shipments received phone threats ahead of the Super Bowl.
To combat crime, lime producers like Hipolito Mora founded self-defense groups in 2013, which were later accused of having ties to criminals.
After vehemently condemning drug traffickers, Mora was shot dead in Michoacan in June.
“We are in big trouble with the cartels,” said his brother Guadalupe Mora, who was guarded by several bodyguards.
“They charge us for everything – staples, soft drinks, beer, chicken. Because of them, everything is very expensive,” he said.
Prosecutor Rodrigo Gonzalez urged people to report such crimes.
“We are committed to fighting these people, identifying them, arresting them and bringing them to justice,” he said.
But many fear they will face the same fate as Mora if they speak out.
Despite the risks, the farmer said he has no intention of leaving his land.
“Many people depend on us and our work to provide for their families,” he said.
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