Sunday, January 7, 2018
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT UPDATES TRAVEL WARNING FOR NORTH, WESTERN STATES OF MEXICO JANUARY 7, 2018 PAUL DEVIN
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT UPDATES TRAVEL WARNING FOR NORTH, WESTERN STATES OF MEXICO
The Canadian government has issued a new travel warning for Canadians traveling to northern and western states of Mexico.
The warning, which was valid on the government website as of January 7, states that citizens should avoid non-essential travel to the northern Mexican states Chihuahua, Coahuila (except the city of Saltillo), Durango, Nuevo León (except the city of Monterrey), Sinaloa (except the city of Mazatlán), Sonora (except the cities of Hermosillo and Guaymas/San Carlos) and Tamaulipas.
Northern states
We strongly recommend travelling to Mexico by air to avoid land border crossings, particularly in the northern states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Sonora and Tamaulipas.
In northern Mexico, particularly along the border with the United States, organized crime and urban violence greatly affect security. Confrontations between organized criminal groups and Mexican authorities continue to pose a problem. Shootouts, attacks and illegal roadblocks may occur without warning.
Avoid inter-city road travel in the northern states. Heavily armed gangs have attacked travelers driving through the state of Tamaulipas and on several highways in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León and Sinaloa. Criminals especially target sport utility vehicles and full-size pickup trucks for theft and carjacking along highways.
In the city of Monterrey, avoid travelling outside the suburb of San Pedro or other well-populated areas after evening rush hour.
Western states
The travel warning adds the western Mexican states of Guerrero (including the city of Acapulco, but excluding the cities of Ixtapa, Taxco and Zihuatanejo) and the state of Michoacán (excluding the city of Morelia).
Criminal activity is high in the states of Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán and Nayarit. Illegal roadblocks and demonstrations are common. The deterioration of the security situation is particularly noticeable in the rural areas of Guerrero and Michoacán. Vigilante militias have fired at vehicles that did not stop at their roadblocks.
The government of Canada issued the travel alert noting the state’s danger due to growing criminal activity and little response from the authorities for the arrest of criminals.
Crime rates in Mexico are high. Arrest and detention rates are low and contribute to higher levels of criminality. The level of crime in resorts and major tourist cities and destinations is relatively low compared to the national average.
The Canadian government adds, “More than 2.1 million Canadians travel to Mexico each year, the vast majority of them without incident.” The state of Quintana Roo, home to global beach destinations including Cancun and Riviera Maya were not part of the travel warning.
Mexico: Cold temperatures may impact papayas, limes Fresh Fruit Portal “We haven't experienced any weather so far that has been too cold or would create any adverse effects on the mango crop in any of the regions like Oaxaca, Chiapas, Nayarit and Sinaloa,” she said. “My last update I received on the crop was yesterday and weather has been cooperative and the crop is ...
| Mexico: Cold temperatures may impact papayas, limes
“We haven't experienced any weather so far that has been too cold or would create any adverse effects on the mango crop in any of the regions like Oaxaca, Chiapas, Nayarit and Sinaloa,” she said. “My last update I received on the crop was yesterday and weather has been cooperative and the crop is ...
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Mexico’s cold snap is having varying degrees of impact on the country’s fruit growers in what is a large and geographically diverse country, but at this early stage some traders have been able to form an idea of the phenomenon’s implications for supply.
Melissa Hartmann de Barros of Florida-based importer HLB Specialties told Fresh Fruit Portal the cold weather in Michoacán was not causing damage to the blooms or trees in papaya orchards, but was “indeed slowing down production”.
“Since our papaya production area is closer to the Pacific, the cold is not affecting us as much as in regions in the north and Mexican Gulf area,” she said yesterday.
“But we are still seeing unseasonably lower temperatures (14°C/57°F) when usually they are closer to 18-20°C at the lowest (64-68°F).
“When temperatures get below 16°C for a prolonged period of time, the plant goes dormant. This means that the roots don’t transfer enough nutrients to the plant and the fruit doesn’t ripen.”
She said this meant the metabolism of the plant only worked for a limited number of hours, thus not allowing the fruit enough time to mature.
The executive added limes were usually slow at this time of year, but production was now even slower than normal.
“These crops are closer to the coast (Veracruz), so the cold is affecting limes more than papayas,” she said.
Jim Donovan, senior vice president of global sourcing at avocado company Mission Produce, yesterday said there had so far been been no issues or impacts in the avocado-growing states of Michoacán or Jalisco.
“Of course the severity and size of the cold front is concerning. Logistically we have not encountered too many issues on the Mexico side,” Donovan said.
“Certainly on the USA/Canada side it has created a little slow down but not major yet.”
Nissa Pierson of Crespo Organic yesterday said the weather so far hadn’t been so bad for mango crops in the western and southern parts of the country.
“We haven’t experienced any weather so far that has been too cold or would create any adverse effects on the mango crop in any of the regions like Oaxaca, Chiapas, Nayarit and Sinaloa,” she said.
“My last update I received on the crop was yesterday and weather has been cooperative and the crop is actually looking very nice and fruitful.”
Other states such as Sonora, known for its table grapes, have actually seen a warmer winter than usual. Click here to read more.
Photo: SMN