Unusual imports of Chilean lemon are being registered in Argentina

Published Dec 25, 2024

Tridge summary

Argentina, a major lemon producer, has experienced a surge in imported lemons, primarily from Chile and Spain, due to domestic production losses and high exchange rates, leading to a significant increase in prices. Despite having 21.5% of the world's lemon production in 2023, the country is unable to meet its own demand, resulting in a unusual shortage. This shortage is attributed to the abandoning of 15,000 hectares of lemon farms due to low prices and strong frosts, adding to the overall production decline. Consequently, Chile has capitalized on this opportunity to export large quantities of lemons to Argentina, marking a record high in imports.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

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 ...

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