Lemon prices bounce back after hitting 'lowest in 30 years' during winter

The U.S. lemon industry is back to normal after a devastating price drop due to national market oversupply and tariffs.

John Famini, Interfresh’s director of sales, explained to FreshFruitPortal.com that the pricing increase can be attributed to the tariff issue calming down and fewer players running California’s District 2 lemon pricing.

“There’s less competition per se, so you have fewer people quoting that product and there’s going to be an opportunity for them to control the pricing a little bit better,” Famini said. “Pricing is also going to be similar throughout the country, since there’s not a lot of imports coming in, which usually impact your East Coast products.”

Imports from Argentina are just arriving in the U.S., but a member of Argentina’s Citrus Federation said the U.S. might not be their main priority and is focusing on nurturing other markets, like Europe.

“Markets are currently a low $20 for your mid-sizes and choice-grade lemons, and a low $30 on the fancy grade. It’s come up significantly since then,” Famini added. “The lemon market price during winter was anywhere from $7 to $10, which is probably the lowest I’ve seen in 30 years doing this.”

In March 2025, the U.S. implemented several rounds of tariffs, primarily targeting imports from Canada, Mexico and China. These, he explained, had an impact on lemon exports.

The oversupply from California’s District 1 affected pricing, and the tariffs' effect on exports exacerbated the issue. Plus, the decrease in U.S. lemon exports at the beginning of the year meant that the domestic market had to absorb a good amount of the supply.

“According to what my growers are telling me, it costs about $12.00 a case to pack it, and when you’re selling it at $7 or $8, you lose money on every case you’re putting out,” he said.

He said that right now, the U.S. market is much tighter than it was in January and February. Famini projects that, in the next three to four months, the greater demand and lower supply will lead to an increase in pricing.