Agronometrics in Charts: U.S. summer lemon prices the highest in years

Over recent years, the demand for citrus in the U.S. market has been on the rise significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. This notable increase is believed to be due to the increase in the consumption of foods rich in vitamin C, as it has various benefits for the immune system and for overall health.

This trend in consumption may have caused lemons prices in the North American market to remain steady, even surpassing those of previous years.

If we look at the graph below, we can see that prices have remained high throughout 2021, even outpacing prices of the last three years. An example is in week 32 of 2021, the average price of lemons was around US$1.73 per kilogram, representing a five percent increase year on year.

Regarding the origins of lemons, different price ranges are created because of them. In week 32 of this year, the average prices for lemons were the following: California $2.05 per kilogram, Chile $1.21 per kilogram and Argentina at $1.15 per kilogram as can be seen in the graph below.

Looking at the types of lemon in the North American market, it is interesting to show that organic lemons have had a price increase recently, making a big difference from conventional lemons.

In week 32, the prices of organic lemons were on average $4.37 per kilogram, 153 percent higher than non-organic lemons which can be seen clearly in the following graph.

Written by: Cristian Crespo F.
Original published in FreshFruitPortal.com on August 17, 2021 (Link)