As volumes of South African lemons increase in the Middle Eastern market so the prices are coming down a bit. David Pearce from GF Marketing said they are now getting $18 FOB, where as in the beginning they were getting $21 FOB.The drop in price is normal as the volumes increase, at the moment South African lemons are alone in the Middle East market so volume is the only thing controlling the price of lemons. Pearce expects that lemon volumes will remain short for the rest of the season.
Grapefruit has been on the go for 3 weeks and Star Ruby are fetching $8 FOB in the Middle East for 15kg cartons of small size, count 55/60, there is a big crop this year and with a global drop in consumption a lot of people are concerned about how the season will go.
Meanwhile early Navels will start to be packed in week 18 in South Africa and GF Marketing will send the first to the Middle East in week 19, as yet the market is uncertain.
For more information:
David Pearce
GF Marketing
Tel: +27 21 944 9715
Email: David@gfmarketing.co.za