Lemon supply looks to be more balanced right now compared to years past. GT Parris of Seald Sweet LLC says it is currently pulling lemons out of both Argentina and Chile.
Original predictions before the start of the lemon season from Argentina were for a crop that was going to be about 30 percent down due to a dry growing season. “It’s been fairly close to that but it’s been down shipping worldwide. However, numbers to the U.S. are up a bit over last year. They’re just not shipping as much to Europe and they are bringing a bit more into the U.S. so we’re not feeling the effects like I thought we would,” says Parris.
He also notes that more Argentinian lemons are also being shipped to the West Coast. “They used to come only to the Port of Philadelphia and would get bottlenecked there sometimes. This year, we’re not seeing that. It’s been a fairly fluid market,” he says.
The by-product, though, of a drier growing season is better quality overall Argentinian lemons. “So there are maybe not the yields but you get better-looking fruit. It’s cleaner and healthier-looking,” Parris says.
Chilean lemons
As for Chile, it also expected to see a crop that was similar sized to last year. An early frost meant some lemons were kept for Chile’s domestic market because of quality concerns. “So they’re down a bit too and in turn, that’s kept the market going,” says Parris. “It hasn’t been an oversaturated market as we had last year and the year before where we had three to four weeks where we had so much product that the price was kept down to keep up with demand. This year seems to be a pretty good flow.”
In all, fruit from Argentina and Chile should be available in the U.S. until the end of September and possibly even early October.
Meanwhile, on pricing, prices are stronger over last year at this time. While program pricing remains relatively unchanged, the spot market has also been very stable and good for grower returns.
Following the end of the Argentinean-Chilean lemon season, Mexico will be up next with its lemons though drought issues mean growers are asking that shippers stay longer if possible with fruit from other regions. “Mexico for the most part will be about two weeks late,” says Parris, noting sizing will also be an issue due to the lack of rain. That means sizes such as 75s will be virtually non-existent and 95s will also be very tight. “Product will probably peak on 165-140s. There will definitely be a shortage of large fruit so that will keep that price high and pretty stable,” adds Parris.
For more information:
G.T. Parris
Seald Sweet
Tel: +1 (772) 569-2244
[email protected]
www.sealdsweet.com