USDA forecasts 11.7% increase in EU lemon production

The 2020-2021 lemon harvest in the European Union (EU) is expected to increase 11.7% to 40.2 million boxes weighing 40.8 kg. The forecast is from the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA). Spain will have most of the production with 25.9 million boxes, followed by Italy with 12 million boxes. Greece is expected to produce 2 million cases, Portugal 318,000 cases and Cyprus 147 thousand cases. After Mexico and Argentina, Spain is the third largest lemon producer in the world, but it is the largest exporter of lemons for fresh consumption. European lemons are mostly consumed fresh and the EU is a net lemon importer. In 2019-2020, lemon imports increased 5.5% to 14.1 million cases. South Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Turkey are the main suppliers to Europe, followed by Mexico. In 2019-2020, EU lemon export volume remained stable compared to the previous year at 1.9 million cases with a value of $123 million. EU lemons were ...