Mexican limes hitting high prices

Mexican lime volumes are relatively low and prices are “sky high,” Rudy Uresti, owner of Jade Produce LLC, in Mission, TX, tells FreshFruitPortal.com on Jan. 18.

Like a year ago, lime prices were in the range of $38-40 per case, which the norm would be around $18-24.

Uresti said Mexican grower-shippers were holding back on shipments in anticipation of even higher markets. But limes can only remain unpicked for a certain amount of time. “This is a strange time of year” for Mexican limes, he notes.

Mexican lime volumes peak in July-August and drop from the highest levels in September, he says. That said, Mexico has some production lift after Jan. 15.

Jade’s wintertime lime sales have largely been closed due to already-signed contracts.

He said other international sources, such as Colombia, are also serving the North American market. For these reasons, he doesn’t see much lift in movement because of the Super Bowl.