Even though forecasts continue to be uncertain, as the domestic economy in Argentina is still recovering and is in danger because of the extreme inflation expected for the first half of the year due to the current change of Government, estimates are that citrus fruits exports will continue to grow this year.
"The effects of El Niño continue in the area of Tucumán and the Northwest of Argentina. Rainfall records accumulated until December 2015 are higher than the average of the past years during the same comparative period. Despite this, many farms in the area started collection tasks in week 11 and, even though it is a bit premature to estimate the campaign's turnover volume, estimates are there will be a 5% to 10% increase in the production of Argentine lemon on 2015," said Walter Ojeda, the commercial Manager of the San Miguel Company.
Argentina thus reaffirms its position as a leading supplier of citrus fruits and the leading producer of lemons worldwide. The country is also one of the leading exporters of citrus fruits in the southern hemisphere.
"2016 will be another favorable year for lemon. It's not easy to predict the final production volume, but we can estimate that the number of fruits per tree will be higher than usual. Additionally, all the members of the Argentine seal of quality, ALL LEMON, perform the demanding agricultural and health care required by the production with dedication, time and effort. This, in turn is what has given us the opportunity to lead this market for consecutive years," said Ojeda.
Despite having South Africa, Uruguay, and Chile as major competitors, Argentina has managed to position its lemon and oranges in the international market. In addition, Russia is consolidating itself as Argentina's main importing country, closely followed by Italy, Spain and Greece.
