W44: Weekly Lemon and Lime Update

European Union

Contaminated Fruit and Vegetables

658 notifications were received by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (Rasff) during the 2021/2022 campaign due to the high presence of pesticides in fruit and vegetable products. In the ranking of products with high pesticide residues, peppers are followed by grapes and lemons with 78 cases each, while mandarins accounted for a total of 56 cases. The rest of the notifications were well distributed in products such as oranges, pomegranates, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, and others.

Turkey

Turkish Interdonato Lemon Exports Only Lasted Three Weeks Due to Low Supply (Nov 1)

Turkey is currently concluding its Interdonato lemon export, which was only harvested and exported for 3 weeks this year due to low supply. The season usually lasts from mid-September until the end of November, but it lasted only 3 weeks this year due to a lack of production caused by the cold weather in Turkey. In W44, the EXW price for Interdonato lemons stood at USD 0.85/kg, with most of the lemons exported to Eastern Europe and Russia. The varieties to be harvested next are lamas lemons from mid-November until February, with Japan as the target market.

India

Kaji Nemu Lemon Is Now Going Around the World (Nov 2)

A small Indian village in the Baksa district of Assam grows fragrant lemons, which are now in high demand in London and Dubai. The Kaji Nemu is an indigenous lemon variety that can be found in every Assamese household. The taste of the lemon is such that people don't even waste the peel or the leaves. One of the villages from which the Kaji Nemu lemon has reached London is Aouhata. Thanks to the joint effort of the Nilachal Agro Producer Company of Sabari, the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development and Authority (APEDA) and the former deputy commissioner of Baksa, this inaccessible village and its growers gained access to the English market. “The lemons were sold for about Rs 35 (€0.43) per kg, which made a big difference to the growers who sold them for Rs 9-10 (€0.11-12),” said Ayush Garg, the former deputy commissioner of Baksa. Even in the high season of August, the lemons fetched only 40 paise (less than €0.01) each on the local markets.

Poland

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Sales in the Polish Wholesale Market Slightly Increased in W43 (Nov 1)

The wholesale market sales for fresh fruit and vegetables in Poland noticed a slight uptick in terms of sales movement in W43. Turkish lemon remains the most demanded product, followed by high-quality mandarin. As of October 30, prices in the Bronze Wholesale market are as follows:

USD 14.35-14.77/15kg box of Lemon, Spain origin
USD 1.16-1.22/kg Lemon, Turkey origin

Record prices for lemons set in Poland (Nov 1)

A persistent upward trend in the price of lemons has been established in the Polish market due to the limited supply of these citrus fruits. Thus, the import of lemons from the southern hemisphere has already ended, while the citrus data collection season in southern Europe and Turkey has just begun. The fact that South African lemons are already disappearing from the market is causing selling prices in this segment to skyrocket. It is worth noting that in Spain the season for these fruits is still in its initial phase, and the current supply is still limited. But this year the lemon season promises to be very difficult for Europe, including Poland, in terms of the availability of these citrus fruits. Spanish trade organizations report a very significant drop in the production of lemons in the country this season. Firstly, last year, due to weak demand and difficulties in harvesting lemons, many producers decided to reduce the area under these citrus fruits. But most of all, the weather hit the lemon crop in Spain. Spring showers hit citrus orchards during the flowering period. As a result, these fruits will be much less. There are regions where the production of lemons will be halved this year! Currently, prices for lemons on the Polish wholesale market are in the range of PLN 6.50-7.50/kg ($1.37-1.58/kg), which is on average 1.8 times more expensive than in the same period last year. At the same time, the current price of lemons is at an all-time high for at least the last ten seasons.