Lime exports from Mexico grew by 44.1 per cent during the January to September period of 2012, according to the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture, Farming, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa).
Sales last year reached US$221m, Sagarpa said, while export volume totalled 492,000 tonnes from an overall production crop of 1.4m tonnes, according to a report by La Gaceta.
During the 52-week period, the main export markets for Mexican lemons were the US, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada and Japan.
Good agricultural practices during the production process for limes have pushed up yields in Mexico, the report said.
In the last five years Mexico has achieved an average yield per hectare of 14 tonnes, according to La Gaceta.
As a result, the FAO ranks Mexico as the second-largest lime producer in the world, and the third-biggest exporter, with a market value worth some US$400m, the report said.
