Argentina: Local industry presses to get the most out of its lemons

"This lemon season in Argentina is expected to be completely different from the previous one, mainly because the Spanish lemon campaign will last longer, and there are more volumes of the Verna variety, which will last until July." Argentina has been shipping its lemons to Europe for a few weeks, although "the largest volumes will arrive in a week or two," says Nicolas Campbell, of Cauquen, Argentina.

Argentina always sends its first lemons to Russia, Canada, and Southeast Asia, because Spanish lemons cover the entire European market. "The Spaniards have told us that they will finish with Verna in 7 or 10 days and that is when we can better sell our lemons," said Nicolas. "Currently the sizes they have are quite large, so Europe will need medium and small sizes in the coming weeks," said the exporter. This season, Argentina won't send lemons to the United States, as the US market will only be open to this product starting next season.

This year, the production volumes are bigger and the quality of the lemons is also better. The problem is that the industry in Argentina has a strong demand for lemons, as they lacks products like oil, concentrated juice, and others. Thus, they are pushing with very high prices to get the fruit.

"Many of the producers will leave their crops for the domestic industry, as it is less risky and they get better benefits," said Nicolas. The base price for Argentina should be above $20 dollars per box, so the price in Europe is also expected to be higher. "This is why we expect better prices in Europe too," concluded Nicolas.

For more information:

Nicolás A. Campbell
Cauquen Argentina S.A.
Argentina
T: +54 11 47873330
E: Nicolas@cauquen.com
www.Cauquen.com