The secretary of Michoacan's Rural Development, Ramon Cano Vega, and the National and State President of the Lime Product System, Sergio Ramirez Castañeda, reported that Michoacan's Persian lime crops are running smoothly and that this fruit's yields are amounting to 2,000 to 3,000 tonnes per day, at a price of 5 pesos per kilogram.
They stated that they expected the Lime Product System to have a great ending in 2013 due to the shortage there will be in the states of Colima, Veracruz and Guerrero, which had problems with their crops because of weather phenomena. Hence, they said, Michoacan shall supply the entire country during the winter window.
"We are prepared and have the capacity to meet the demand of almost the entire country. The packing facilities at the Apatzingán Valley are working and ready to supply all of Mexico," said the producers' representative.
Expectations are that, by the end of December, yields will amount to 700 tonnes per day and that the producers will receive more than 10 pesos per kilogram of lime.
Sergio Ramirez took the opportunity to announce that, thanks to the information campaign and the meetings with state and federal authorities, they had managed to restore tariffs, making it difficult for limes from other countries to enter the Mexican territory.
Michoacan consolidated itself in 2012 as the number one producer of the Mexican variety of this citrus in the country, exceeding its historical volume production, as it was able to produce 687,056 tonnes in 42,941 hectares, 32.5 percent more than in 2011.
In turn, the National and State President of the Lime Product System emphasized that, "in average, lime producers from Michoacan have yields of 16 tonnes per hectare, but some of them can produce up to 40 tonnes per hectare."
He added that this citrus was harvested throughout the year, almost constantly, but that the highest amounts were available between the months of November and April.
Regarding quality, Michoacan's lime enjoys great prestige in Mexico and in countries like the U.S. and Canada, to which they export 19,441 tons of the Persian and Mexican varieties for their high vitamin and nutritional values, as well as for their incomparable flavour.
Source: Mimorelia.com