US: What Florida growers can do to squeeze more out of the lime market

Published 2021년 6월 7일

Tridge summary

In 2014, the US experienced a significant increase in lime prices, reaching up to $130 per case, due to a combination of factors including hurricane damage in Florida, the spread of citrus canker, reliance on Mexican lime supply, and disruptions caused by drug cartels. This period also saw a shift in lime propagation towards Persian and Key limes in Florida, with a peak in Key lime propagation attributed to increased demand driven by changing consumer trends and the lime blotch virus affecting Persian limes. Florida citrus growers have observed differences in lime performance and quality under HLB, with Persian limes showing better tolerance and higher quality, despite challenges such as harvest labor shortages during the summer and the underdeveloped secondary juice market. A new Facebook group, run by the New Varieties Development and Management Corporation (NVDMC), aims to foster discussion and collaboration among nurseries and growers regarding production practices and new commercial citrus varieties.

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

Original content

The Associated Press titled it “The Great Green Citrus Crisis of 2014.” It was the perfect storm of circumstances that pushed lime prices from the mid-$20 range to $80 and ultimately $130 per case. The price of all things made with lime or associated with lime suddenly escalated. After peaking in 1985, Florida lost much of its South Florida lime production to Hurricane Andrew and the canker eradication program.Then came HLB, its associated uncertainties, and large-volume plantings south of the border. Consequently, the American market became heavily dependent on Mexican limes. Then, in 2014, Mexican drug cartels suddenly disrupted supply chains and, with no readily available alternative supply, the marketplace immediately felt the impact. Some growers and nurseries took notice. Special Appreciation to the Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration for propagation data. The chart above provides a snapshot of Persian lime and Key lime nursery propagations since the 2014 anomaly. Some ...

Source: Growingproduce