Lime supplies are improving as the season picks up in Mexico. One of the reasons is the favorable weather in the growing regions which is improving volume. The onset of the rainy season also encourages more fruit, and growers expect to see a further improvement in supply over the next month. The increase has come after a period of a shortage in supply.
"There is a good amount of supply coming in now," said Roy Salinas of RJ Produce, Inc. "The weather is good in the growing regions. A lot of the trees were full as well so they needed to be harvested and now we're seeing more volume enter the market. We expect that more will come once the rainy season starts in a month."
Veracruz has been the traditional growing region in Mexico, but more areas are now opening up to the Persian lime market. "Persian limes are available in Veracruz all year round, as well as Tabasco," Salinas added. "But they are also now growing in places like Jalisco and more recently, Texas."
Fluctuating market
Up until recently, the market has been very high as tight supplies caused prices to rise. With more volume now coming in however, the market has eased. But suppliers say it remains unstable due to the fluctuating volumes from different growers.
"The market has not been stable and has been fluctuating recently," Salinas said. "There has been a lot of quantity issues, and numbers have been sporadic amongst growers. Right now, prices for 110 count are $30.00, while 200s are at $24.00. It's on the high side compared with this time last year. Demand has been light and as the market is coming off. We're now waiting and seeing what happens by the end of the week."
For more information:
Roy Salinas
RJ Produce
Tel: +1 (956) 781-4000