A 25 percent decline in Argentine lemon exports are estimated compared to a year ago. This would result in producing only 190,000 metric tons (MT) this coming season, according to a report by the USDA.
Reasons for the projected decline is due to a decrease in production, available fruit supply in the Northern Hemisphere’s fruit-producing countries and strong competition from South Africa.
Exporters are also concerned about the continued threat of fruit rejections by the EU due to the presence of Citrus Black Spot (CBS) as occurred in the 2019-20 season.
Lemon exports to the U.S. for the 2020-21 season are estimated to be about 40,000MT. However, this is an uncertain estimate due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumption patterns.
Argentine lemon production forecasts at 1.03MMT, a 30 percent decrease in comparison to last year, due to cold damage early in the season and dry growing conditions. A drought is restricting production of all citrus fruit in Argentina by reducing fruit size. This season fresh lemons for processing are forecast to decrease significantly to 731,000 MT, down 31.5 percent compared to 2019-20, as a result of the decrease in production.