"Everyone wants lemons at the moment," according to a French operator. Lemon prices are already high and could rise even further, due to a sharp drop in Verna volumes from Spain and the difficulty to obtain imported merchandise.
What happened to the Spanish Verna?
The drought in Spain has taken a toll on Verna lemons. "At this time of year, we usually find Verna lemons on the French market, but because of the weather conditions in Spain, the lemons have fallen off the trees. Verdelli lemons are present, which is the second flower of the Verna." To make up for the lack of Spanish production, we find some volumes from Argentina, but the country has also suffered from the climate and prefers to turn to the United States, a more buoyant market for Argentinians." Another promising source is South Africa, "which used to produce a lot of oranges, but has planted more lemon trees in recent years." The situation should return to "some normality as soon as the Fino lemons arrive on the market, in about a month."
No psychological price for lemons
Price levels usually go hand in hand with consumption, and lemons are no exception to this rule. "Lemons do not respond to psychological pricing, as is the case for other products such as courgettes or oranges. Whether they cost 3 or 6 €/kg [3.35 or 6.70 USD/kg], consumers continue to buy lemons, since there is no alternative to this product.