The supply of limes out of Mexico continues to be inconsistent. “It’s due to weather and other ongoing conditions in Mexico,” says Alex Teague of World Groves. Those conditions include some aging trees, some disease problems in nursery stock and the drought. “The fruit sizing and fruit bloom continues to be a problem and there are some inherent tree situations that are behind the erratic supply which we’ve seen the last couple years.”
That means that some major retailers are either moving or diversifying their supply regions--Teague notes that at least one prominent retailer is moving upwards of 50 percent of their supply to sourcing from Colombia.
Colombia is indeed offering consistent lime supply, though internal markets are very good in both Colombia and Peru. “That’s not leaving a lot of incentive to export limes right now,” he adds. That supply will soon be coming from the south, rather than the north of Colombia, and given the country rotates regions every 100-160 days, sizing and quality are good.
Peru update
From Peru, there is a struggle with fruit size. “You have a lot of 230s, 250s and 200s but if you get past 200, it gets a little a little more difficult,” adds Teague.
That said, supply and demand are in balance, even with slightly softer demand, particularly in foodservice. (Teague estimates it’s down by about 10 percent.) However, demand has exceeded supply on the larger fruit. “This is what we’ll continue to see for the next 90 to 120 days. I think that will continue until the late spring-early summer,” he says. He also notes that while the lime deal can change quickly, there will be a few weeks where each growing area, including Guatemala, will have some big sizes but not necessarily a steady supply.
As for pricing, it is firmer than last year and nearing $6-$7/box. “We’re expecting firm pricing to remain that way, particularly on the medium and large fruit, through the spring,” says Teague.
Looking ahead, over the next three to five years, Teague says new supply zones and countries will continue to be added on limes to increase the overall supply.
For more information:
Alex Teague
World Groves
alex.teague@worldgroves.com
www.worldgroves.com