The start of the Verna lemon harvest, whose production has fallen significantly this year, has not helped in boosting the demand, which has remained generally quiet throughout the winter for the Primofiori variety. For the off-season campaign, larger volumes are expected from South Africa and lower ones from Argentina, with uncertainty as to how the demand will evolve.
"It has been a difficult lemon season, with a very quiet demand," says Francisco Vicente Gea Belmonte, commercial director of the Murcian company Belsán. "There is a lower supply of Verna, but it will be enough for the whole month of May and even the beginning of June. While all calibers are generally available, in our case, thanks to good field management, we manage to have all kinds of sizes."
"Due to their morphology and rough skin, some supermarket chains prefer South African and Argentinian lemons, which have already started to arrive in some parts of Europe," says Francisco Vicente. "In Spain, we have not yet started working with these origins. We, at least, will not start until June, when the Verna harvest is finished, so as to prevent overlap," he says.
"The demand has been low during the Spanish season, and we do not know for sure if it will revive in the summer, although everything points to the possibility of the same trend continuing. So far, we have marketed about 30% less lemon. At the same time, there has been a growing supply from Turkey and Egypt, which continue to gain market share in northern European countries like Germany, where prices are a key factor," says Francisco Vicente.
For his part, Belsán continues to supply the Pink Variegated lemon variety, which he produces almost 12 months a year because it has several blooms. "We are the only ones that produce it in Spain. It is intended for gourmet stores and supermarkets, with a price that usually doubles that of conventional lemons due to its exclusivity and limited supply."
For more information:
Francisco Vicente Gea Belmonte
Belmonte Sánchez Belsan S.L
Vereda Rincón de Gallego 16
M: +34 630 943670
30579 Torreagüera, Murcia. Spain
www.belsansl.com
francisco@belsansl.com