"The weather has been truly unusual and cold for this time of the year. There was snow in places where people had never seen it," said Carlos Zarain, of Exquisita, a Mexican company based in Puebla devoted to the cultivation of Persian limes and peppers, among other products.
Most agricultural products in Mexico have been affected, especially in upland areas and states like Michoacan, which registered the most intense hailstorm of the past 40 years, destroying avocado crops in some of the country's (and the world's) most productive municipalities.
"In Puebla, the impact was not as big; we had rainy days, and the low temperatures delayed the chilli pepper production; in the case of limes, the harvest has also been delayed, but we hope to start it within a week."
"Limes currently reach prices of between 40 and 45 US$, when two weeks ago they stood at 20-25 US$, but I don't think they will increase much more, as the new harvest is around the corner."
It is very difficult to predict whether the citrus production will stabilise, since the impact of the bad weather on the flowering will not be measurable until next month, but if the damage is severe, prices could stay high for the next 6 months.
Meanwhile, Exquisita's representative points out that they suffered no losses in production volumes.
"We had immense luck in Puebla, and ultimately, this situation may be favourable for us," concludes Carlos.