Citrus producers in Argentina’s main lemon-growing area of Tucumán in the north-west of the country have started their season with a labour dispute. Workers are protesting and negotiating increased rates of pay while stopping short of strike action. Roberto Sánchez, president of the Tucumán citrus association ATC said: “Costs have gone up a lot this season. In the case of the salary negotiations that are continuing, it is a difficult situation because ours is a labour intensive business. We hope, that in the short term, we find the best solution for everyone.”

The dollar has lost ground against the peso over the past 12 months, which makes the situation more difficult and growers have less fruit on their trees.

Sánchez said: “This year we’ll have a moderate season in terms of volume, so we will have to be very well disciplined when it comes to marketing. Recent rainfall has been good for the plantations and has helped bulk sizes up a bit. This could help us compensate for the lower number of fruits.”

Growers are hoping that they will find a strong place on European markets given that this season there is not the same pressure from high volumes of late Spanish lemons. Sánchez said: “We think demand will pick up for us in the second half of May and the first fortnight of June…Our studies indicate that our volumes will strengthen in the second half of our season.”

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