Martinez de la Torre, which has nearly 15,000 producers and accounts for 45,000 of the 82,000 hectares devoted to Persian lime production nationwide, continues to lead the production and export of Persian limes. Martinez de la Torre is also competing against Brazil, the main supplier of this citrus in Europe.
The fruit quality and production volume achieved in this region, which is in the north central part of the state of Veracruz, allows the region to be one of the top exporters of Persian limes in the world. To date, the municipality has exported its limes to over 21 countries.
According to data provided by the Chairman of Producers and Exporters of Persian Lime (Copelp), Leonardo Olivares Ahumada, currently 70 percent of their production is shipped to the United States and Canada, 10 percent to Europe, 10 percent to the national market, and 10 percent is destined for processing.
In Europe, the lime from Martinez de la Torre is sent to the Netherlands, England, France, Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Sweden. In Asia, the product is distributed in Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Leonardo Olivares said that Veracruz was the first to establish the cultivation of Persian limes in Mexico and started exporting it to the United States about 35 years ago. In the beginning they exported 10 twenty-tons containers, but its growth was very favorable and they currently send 400 containers a week.
"There are 82,000 hectares planted with Persian limes in Mexico, and each hectare yields approximately 14 tons per year, so Mexico produces around 1,148,000 tons of Persian limes per year, 70 percent of which have export quality. To be more exact, 550,000 tons are for the United States and Canada, 100,000 tons for Europe and Asia, and 153,600 tons are available for another market, which could be China," he added.
Although most of the crop is temporary, and the aforementioned numbers are based on a year with excellent weather conditions, the representative of the producers and exporters from Martinez de la Torre stressed that the municipality was already competing with Brazil, a powerful citrus producer. The main producing states of Persian lime in Mexico are: Campeche, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatan. Copelp handles 65 percent of exports.
Source: diariodexalapa.com.mx