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 Photographer: Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg Photographer: Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg 
 
 That bowl of guacamole on Cinco de Mayo will be more expensive this year, as avocado prices rise to a record on surging demand and a smaller crop in Mexico and California. A 10-kilogram (22-pound) box of Hass avocados from the state of Michoacan, Mexico’s biggest producer, cost 530 pesos ($27.89) Thursday, according to the government. The price, which is subject to seasonal swings, is more than double what it was a year earlier and the highest in data going back 19 years. People are being drawn to the fruit not just for its taste but also for its healthy oils and fats, a trend borne out in the U.S. by Starbucks Corp.’s announcement last month it’s selling avocado sandwich spread. Its shipments into the U.S. surged to 1.76 billion pounds in 2015 from just 24 million pounds in 2000, according to data from the Hass Avocado Board in Mission Viejo, California. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Avocado trees are an alternate-bearing crop, which means harvests differ in size each year 
 
 There are two main varieties of avocado available on the market: Hass and Fuerte. Subway was forced to stop serving fresh avocado on their sandwiches while Chipotle Mexican Grill said it squeezed their bottomline. Hass Avocado Prices (US retail) $1.27 each in April 2017 $0.98 in April 2016 Getty 
 
 California production is forecast to be down about 44% this year. Analysts expect prices to remain at "elevated levels" after a growers strike in Mexico and drought in California led to a severe supply crunch last year. It could be all the way through summer,” Fumasi said. Buyers will have to wait until the fall, and hope next season’s Mexican crop is bigger, before there’s enough volume to push prices considerably lower, he said.
– As avocado lovers prepare to ingest a massive amount of guacamole during the upcoming Cinco de Mayo holiday, Bloomberg explains why that guacamole will come at a heftier cost: The price of avocados has set a record, more than doubling since last year. This higher price tag will be reflected both at the grocery store and in US restaurants that are finding creative ways to serve the trendy fruit. We break down why you’ll be forking over a pretty penny for that tasty avocado toast: US consumption of avocados has sky-rocketed. Mexico provides 82% of the avocados consumed in the United States. Since 2000, shipments have increased from 24 million pounds to a whopping 1.76 billion pounds in 2015. This astronomical rise has raised ethical questions around the crop’s environmental and social impact. Worldwide demand is up, too. The avocado trend is going global, with European countries as well as China asking for more of the fruit. Shortages in New Zealand even sparked avocado thefts, reports the BBC, while Mexican exports to China are especially booming, growing at a rate of 250% per year. Avocado growers had a bad year. Avocado crops tend to vary, yielding more growth one year, less growth the next. A smaller crop is expected this season in Mexico as well as California, where a 44% decrease has been predicted. And a growers strike in Mexico last year did not help matters. (Here's why you might not want to eat an avocado when you're stressed.)