VENTURA, SANTA PAULA : Clinics to Aid Foes of Avocado Importation
As part of its fight against a federal proposal to import Mexican avocados, the California Avocado Commission will hold a series of clinics to help avocado growers write letters opposing the move.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is considering lifting an 81-year-old ban on Mexican avocados, will accept written comments on the proposal through Oct. 16.
Local growers say the proposal could undercut prices for their produce and expose their crops to destructive insects not currently found in California.
Commission President Mark Affleck said growers needed to tell the government how this proposal could affect their businesses.
“We’re really looking for the personal anecdotes, the personalized stories from real growers with real experience and real fear,” he said.
The clinics, Affleck said, will answer such questions as where the letters should be sent and which arguments would be the most useful or appropriate.
Two clinics are scheduled for Ventura County, both on Friday. The first will be held from 8 a.m. to noon at the Ventura County Citrus Exchange at 201 S. Steckel Drive in Santa Paula. The second will run from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Ventura County Farm Bureau at 5156 McGrath St. in Ventura.
For more information, contact the commission’s information hot line at (800) 707-7519.
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