Unusual imports of Chilean lemon are being registered in Argentina

In the last three months, the presence of large quantities of imported lemons has become very visible in the local market, especially from Chile but also from Spain. The news would not attract attention if it were not for the fact that Argentina is a world power in lemon production. From Tucumán and other provinces of the NOA, 21.5% of the world's lemons were produced in 2023, according to statistics from Federcitrus, the entity that groups citrus companies. Last year, the country produced about 2 million tons. Most of it was used in the industry, with 1.45 million tons. Another 220 thousand tons were exported as fresh fruit, and finally the domestic market absorbed about 317 thousand tons. In the sum of citrus fruits, that is, adding oranges and mandarins, Argentina produced about 3.88 million tons in 2023, while on the other side of the mountain range Chile only obtained 412 thousand. The figures on the local lemon supply are so overwhelming that it would be impossible to think ...