The lemon sector in Argentina’s Tucuman region is maintaining its leadership position as a southern-hemisphere supplier, despite rising costs and transport strikes.
Official figures to June 7 for exports from the north-western region of the South American country show that citrus sendings reached 250,000 pallets - equivalent to some 300,000 tonnes - and up from 210,000 pallets at the same point in 2007. Lemons account for at least 85 per cent of this volume.
The rising cost of fertiliser, fuel and other inputs has hit growers in Tucuman hard, according to Argentinean analysts of the sector, but the worldwide shortage of the fruit means that their production is in strong demand. “Diesel prices have gone up, there is a shortage of the fuel, there is insufficient road infrastructure, a lack of investment in ports in Argentina and an increase in costs of fertiliser and agrochemicals,” said one analyst. “But despite all this, and all the gloom forecast for the sector in Tucuman, it is going from strength to strength in both volume and quality.”
At this point in the season, there are only small volumes of fruit remaining to be harvested, but exporters are forecasting sendings will continue until mid-August at least.
Widespread strikes in Argentina have reportedly had only a limited effect on the lemon industry. Last week, for example, strikers were still allowing trucks transporting lemons to transit so as to keep the packhouses and processing factories in the region open, although other agricultural products, livestock and grocery consignments were halted.
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