Argentina’s lemon sector is facing a difficult season as the harvest gets underway.
Climatic factors, shrinkage in demand on some export markets and downward price pressure, as well as an excess of Spanish product still on the marketplace, are all being brought to bear.
Fruit in the main growing area of Tucumán, in north-western Argentina, was sizing up well for harvesting for the export market, before rainfall in the last two weeks of March put paid to grower plans.
The citrus growers association in Tucumán, ATC, is forecasting a year of good quality, but with smaller sizes than recent season averages. Plant health conditions are good and, although recent rainfall has slowed the harvesting effort, it has been beneficial to trees and fruit, which experienced a paucity of water over the Argentinean summer.
