Post #741233 by AceExplorer on Tue, Apr 14, 2015 10:13 AM

I did a couple Google searches and didn't get any hits on anything really solid, although there is the article below from 4/1/2015 - I know that's April Fool's Day - but I don't think it's a joke in any way. And - hey - now you'll be able to tell people that you read "Produce News"!

http://www.producenews.com/markets-and-trends/15459-high-lime-market-falls-short-of-record-setting-2014-level

High lime market falls short of record-setting 2014 level
by John Groh | April 01, 2015
In 2014, a combination of factors caused an unprecedented spike in the lime market, sending prices well above the $100 mark for a 40-pound carton and causing a shortage of the fruit at both retail and foodservice. This year, the situation is not so sour.

While still much higher than normal, prices for a 40-pound carton were in the $48-58 range on March 27, or about half of what they were at this time in 2014.

“It is different than last year,” said Richard Ruiz, president of Ruiz Sales in Edinburg, TX, a supplier of Mexican tropical items that specializes in limes. “We will have more supplies this year, so prices will not be as high.”

A December 2013 freeze in Mexico caused bloom drop several months later, resulting in reduced supply in 2014. Additionally, Mexico held more for the domestic market and many growers who did send fruit to the export market accelerated harvesting schedules to capitalize on the high prices, resulting in a glut of small 235-size fruit in the pipeline.

Ruiz said that some growers in Mexico increased lime acreage in response to last year’s high market. Additionally, more fruit is being sourced from Colombia and Guatemala.

“Overall, there are more limes on the market this year than last year,” he said March 26. “A week ago, there were 241 loads that crossed into the U.S. A week later, that had increased to 333 loads, in just six days.”

Ronnie Cohen, a partner in Vision Import Group, based in Hackensack, NJ, which has a branch office in Pharr, TX, concurred with the state of the lime market, pegging it at $50-52 in late March.

“It’s hard to say what the market will do from day to day, but I think it has reached its peak,” he said March 27. “I think the price will come off next week, but it remains to be seen how far and how fast.”

Cohen said citrus greening disease has caused Mexican growers to pull affected citrus trees and replant with limes, which will put more fruit on the market when the trees reach maturity. But he is confident that demand in the U.S. market will continue to outpace supply.

“Consumption is definitely up from previous years,” he said. “If you look at the population of the United States, it is a true melting pot, and Hispanic populations are continuing to grow. That is causing an increased demand for limes.”

Eye on quality

Ruiz said lime shippers and retail buyers must scrutinize quality more than ever with the increased volume of fruit.

“The industry needs to be truthful about quality issues,” he said. “Some people are trying to sell No. 2 fruit at No. 1 prices, and that can have a negative effect because consumers can have a bad experience and get turned off. The cheapest fruit is often the most expensive fruit when you take into account the increased shrink and waste, and the potential loss of future sales if consumers have a bad eating experience.”

Cohen said some fruit was blanched as a result of rain, but quality has been steadily improving since the beginning of the year.

As the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and “you can’t judge a lime by its color,” said Cohen. “The fact is, the off-color fruit is just has juicy as the green fruit, but U.S. consumers tend to like their limes with a deep green color.”

He said the new lime crop will hit the market around the middle of April, and there will be good supplies of high-quality fruit available to meet promotions.