Loss of the Russian market keeps more lemons in South Africa

The Middle East, where about a third of South African lemons are sold, is currently a place of "struggle", says an exporter specializing in this market. At the end of last week, 2.6 million cartons of 15 kg lemons had already been packed in South Africa and more than a million of them have been exported, mainly to the Middle East, as is usual for this time of year. As expected since the start of the invasion by Russia, lemons allegedly going to Russia (larger sizes lemons and also grade 2 fruit) are putting pressure on lemon prices in the Middle East market. "The Middle East is predominantly a smaller lemon market, so if the fruit that was destined for Russia goes there, that's not what the traditional Middle East market wants. This will send the market into a downward spiral," is the opinion of a citrus exporter from Limpopo. "The Middle East is no longer a market that accepts a mediocre class of fruit, consumers want good quality fruit." The export to Russia this season amounts ...