Imported lemon shipments failing to satisfy US demand

Lemon supplies from South America are failing to satisfy demand. This is coming during the time of year when California is in very low production and just prior to the Mexican season which is not due to start for another two weeks. Prices are very high and any box of lemons is attracting strong interest. It's not clear what is causing the lack of South American fruit, although weather is the most likely reason, with heavy rains impacting some of the growing regions, both in South America and Mexico.

Tom Underwood of the Corona-College Heights Orange & Lemon Association noted the slow arrival of South American fruit. "South American fruit has been very slow to land," he said. "It's one of the tightest summers we've seen, although short supplies are not terribly unusual given that July and August are generally the slowest months for California production. The main difference is that normally we see significantly more imports than we have so far this year."

He is not the only one that has noted the dearth of volume recently. "Supplies of lemons are extremely tight right now," said David Stone, of Valhalla Sales and Marketing. "The pipeline is empty and there is simply not enough fruit to keep up with demand. Prices are exceptionally high, generally sitting between the low $30s and into the $40s, depending on size and grade."

With the much-anticipated Argentine lemon arrivals supplying the US market for two months now, concerns of an impact on California growers has not really eventuated. With barely any arrivals on the West Coast and with the East Coast absorbing any volume that comes its way, domestic growers remain in a good position.

"Argentina is still trying to get into the market," Stone observed. "With slow arrivals from both Argentina and Chile, the market for domestic lemons is very strong. Those districts in California that are producing right now are seeing those very high prices."

Growers are noting that demand is steadily increasing each year. They have observed that while consumers still shy away from large fresh market purchases, an increase in the use of lemons in other areas is contributing to the increase in demand due to the reality that most households have at least one or two lemons on hand.

"Over the last ten years, demand has steadily increased each year," Stone explained. "More people are using them in cooking or as a garnish, even for desserts and sauces. As consumers continue to find creative ways to utilize lemons more in their daily food, the demand is set to keep increasing."

For more information:

David Stone 

Tel: +1 (559) 897-6000

Tom Underwood 

Tel: +1 (951) 351-7880