The supply of limes coming from Mexico into the U.S. has been light due to a seasonal changeover of the crop. With demand holding steady, there's been a bump in the market. But it's expected supplies will increase going into the summer, which is when demand typically spikes.
“Where we source from, which is Veracruz, they're switching over from the old crop to the new crop there,” explained David Villareal of Ver-Mex Produce in McAllen, Texas. “So there are few limes around.” As a result, prices have been strong. On March 31, prices for a 40-pound carton of seedless 110s were between $26.00 and $32.00 at crossings through Texas, and prices for a carton of 175s were between $30.00 and $36.00.
“This usually happens around this time of year,” added Villareal, so the lull in supply is not expected to last very long. Compounding the shortage, however, has been the light volume from neighboring regions.
“We get our limes from Jalisco, but we haven't been able to pack much for export because of the rain and hail that hit a few weeks ago,” noted Carlos Zaragoza of Yori Produce. “That's the reason for the high prices.”
Supplies should improve in the coming weeks, though, just in time for strong summer demand.
“Right now, demand is heavy,” noted Villareal, “but there will be much more demand in summer, and we'll have heavy supply for that.”
