Lemon availability on the UK market is getting tight following a drop in supply from Argentina.
The South American country is the largest supplier to the market during the southern-hemisphere season but has suffered a series of setbacks in its main growing region of Tucumán.
Yields are down on 2011 and the harvest is running 30-40 days behind last season, leaving a gap on the UK market at the end of the Spanish campaign.
Roberto Sánchez Loria, president of the Tucumán citrus association (ATC) in north-west Argentina, said: “We had a lot of days without labour, which meant that fruit stayed on trees and sizes got too big. We managed to get good quality, but sizes were too big for export and so that fruit is destined for processing.
"We have a lot less volume than last season because of the drought we suffered in the production period and then unseasonable rains which complicated harvesting. The season is progressing slowly, I estimate about a month behind and there are some farms that have not even started this year’s harvest.”
Capespan’s commercial director Martin Dunnett said prices on the UK market are strong. “We started a couple of weeks back with South African lemons at 1400p [a carton]. Looking ahead we have some good fruit, but South Africa is only about 20 per cent of the market; Argentina has 80 per cent.”
The season for Spain’s Fino lemons has all but finished and summer variety Verna is not popular in the UK because of its low juice content and thick skin.
In 2008 a shortage of lemons sent prices in the UK spiralling from 19p to 38p each in the major multiples. This week they averaged 30p across the high street.
