With varieties grown that push the availability of citrus later in the year, the citrus season keeps getting longer in North America.
"It used to be that Navels were done in June," noted Seven Seas’ Jeff Baskovich, "and now we have them well into July and late- August. With the late varieties, I think citrus production in North America is pretty much a year-round deal."
As for the current citrus market, organic items have been doing well. Baskovich has seen demand surge as retailers want to expand their organic offerings. For Valencias specifically, the market has been pretty steady, but the organic lemon market that has been very active.
"Prices for organic lemons are through the roof," said Baskovich. "A box of fancy organic lemons is already at $50.00, and boxes of choice lemons are going for $28.00. I can see prices getting as high as $70.00 or $80.00 come summer."
