US lemon district 2 is in full production and has good supplies. ”This year’s quality is very good. Temperatures have been mild and wind scar has been less than the past several years,” says John Carter with Limoneira. “Production is expected to trail off as we get into July and August,” he added. Elsewhere in the world, South Africa and Argentina have been shipping for a month and Chile is just now beginning. In terms of volume, South Africa and Chile are looking similar to last year. Argentina is expecting more volume than last year, but it will be more in line with historical output.
Overall, US lemon production has been going well this season. US district 3 and 1 were faced with sustained cold weather from mid-December through early January, which brought on color quickly between January and early March. “The amount of rain California received was helpful, although less than ideal given the El Niño conditions,” shared Carter.
Pricing continues to be strong across many of the destination markets due to solid demand. As well for Europe, inventories were lower at the start of the southern hemisphere shipping season as a result of shorter seasons in Spain and Turkey due to weather.
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John Carter
Limoneira