Lime farmers in Mexico have become the latest victims of extortion by the Cartel.
According to a Televisa report, farmers in the western state of Michoacán have been threatened and extorted.
The Jalisco Cartel New Generation and the Cárteles Unidos are two groups locked in a bloody battle.
Several lime growers in the area told Televisa that they were forced to flee their homes because of the violence. The threats have helped drive a drastic reduction in crop production across Michoac, primarily affecting lime growers.
According to data from Mexico's agriculture ministry, farmers in Michoac harvest half the amount of limes as they did the previous year.
The limited harvest has led to a sharp increase in lime prices, disrupting the consumer market and allowing drug traffickers to dictate prices and charge farmers higher extortion fees. The cost of limes has increased by 235% since January 2021.
One industry worker told Reforma that the price of limes is imposed by the cartels and they decide if it can be lowered or not.
Powerful Mexican organized crime groups have long sought control of the state's lucrative avocados trade, and have targeted lime farmers in the past.
The plight of Michoac's lime farmers marks a new venture for the country's criminal groups, which have previously tried to extort the state's agricultural industries.
According to InSight Crime, four competing gangs, including theCJNG, were extorting farmers in Michoac, kidnapping and killing those who failed to pay. The Michoac Governor's Office has identified 12 criminal groups operating within the state's borders, many of which are vying for control of the state's coveted farmland and related extortion racket.
Farmers have taken matters into their own hands because of the violence in Michoac. In the summer of 2021, a group of farmers formed a self-defense group. To protect their crops, they armed themselves with machetes and firearms and put up barricades along the roads.
Lime producers quickly followed suit, creating a self-defense group of their own, with some even preparing Molotov cocktails to see off the Viagras, one of the main criminal groups in the state.
It's not clear if these groups have been able to make any difference since reports show that the extortion of remaining farmers is still going on.
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