Light supplies of lemons in California led to high prices through the summer. But as the state's crop transitions to a different part of the state, increased supplies are helping prices come down.“The market has been very tight for the last three months,” said Jeff Olsen of the Chuck Olsen Company. “Demand exceeded supply. We're now transitioning into District 3, which should ease the situation. So the market is trying to adjust itself at the moment.”
Harvesting in District 2, which covers the Riverside area, is finishing up. Supplies from that region were light this year as a warm winter made for a season with front-loaded volume. The quick maturity of fruit meant a lot of it was picked early, and with low supplies in storage, the scarcity of fruit caused prices to remain high. But with harvesting now transitioning into the desert areas of District 3, supplies should be more plentiful.
“There was far more demand than there were supplies from mid-July to the end of September,” said Olsen. “This is the first week the market eased up and we're able to find fruit.”
For more information:
Jeff Olsen
The Chuck Olsen Company
+1 559 651 5900