W28 Netherlands: Lemon Price Dropping Sharply

Prices of fresh lemons from the Southern Hemisphere are dropping drastically during the last weeks. Today, prices are seen on the Dutch market (reference market for Europe) moving between 15.00 to 11.00 per box (15kg box) for South African lemons (Eureka variety, yellow). The price is already around 20% lower than last Thursday and 25% lower compared to two weeks ago.

This situation is due to an oversupply of this product on the European market, caused mostly by an estimated increase of volumes of around 50% from RSA and 600% from Argentina. The forecast for lemons is pessimistic, and we should expect huge pressure on the market in the coming weeks (summer holidays, heat wave, lower demand, and oversupply).