Looking ahead at the Argentinian organic lemon season, first arrivals are expected on the East Coast in early May. "Things are about two weeks earlier than normal. There's a lot of stress to get especially organic fruit here because California seems to be finishing up their organic crop–some of the bigger growers in California have already harvested the last of their organics so we're trying to avoid a gap," says Robert Steckman of Earth Source. "So we're just waiting on Argentinian fruit and they couldn't harvest until the second week of April anyway."
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While the crop looks similar in size to last year's, it is leaning towards larger sizes with 115s and 140s accounting for a large part of the crop with a good amount of 95s and smaller.
This all follows good growing conditions in Argentina. Though heavy rains were seen, their effect on the crop is believed to be minimal. "The crop looks fantastic–first grade, not a lot of scarring. It looks really good," adds Steckman, noting that following the early May start, shipments should wrap up by the end of September.
Strong start to season
Given the earlier end to the California crop, demand is expected to be particularly strong for Argentinian lemons–especially on the first few weeks of containers. "A lot of Argentinian growers are sending their fruit to Europe. There's quite a bit of demand in Europe for lemons because they haven't had great seasons where they get their lemons from, so Argentina sees the opportunity to send fruit there," says Steckman.
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So with more limited volumes arriving on the East Coast until June, it's likely that May will see really high markets for imported lemons. "It looks like it'll be about 30 percent higher in pricing than last year and part of that has to do with oil prices being up and higher freight costs. Argentinian growers are also looking to get more than they did last year, especially with the European market the way it is," says Steckman.
Back at home as the season gets underway, the company is also internally celebrating its 20th anniversary which coincides with Four Seasons 50th company anniversary. Earth Source is the importing grower arm of the company. "A lot has changed over our 20 years–we're continuing to grow and we're focusing on Fair Trade and organics, as well as regenerative programs and more," says Steckman.
For more information:
Robert Steckman
Earth Source
Tel: +1 (877) 321-8200
https://www.earthsource.com/
