At the end of 2023, Mexico ratified its position as the world’s second-largest producer and exporter of lemons and limes, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The progressive increase in cultivation, phytosanitary reputation, and the work of producers made it possible to meet high domestic and international demand throughout the year, with the highest volumes of crops from August to October, said the federal agency.
The Secretariat reported that the country held a 20.5% market share and an average annual growth rate of 8.4% from 2019 to 2023.
During this period, Mexico exported an average of 749,000 tonnes, of which 98.7% went to three countries: the United States, generating a trade value of US$659 million; the Netherlands (US$10 million); and the UK (US$3 million).
This performance placed Mexico in second place in marketing and production, ahead of nations such as South Africa, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, China, and Italy.
In the comparison between 2022 and 2023, exports last year totaled US$838 million and 716,163 tonnes, a growth of US$80 million and 19,137 tonnes compared to 2022, 10.6% and 2.7% more compared to US$758 dollars and 697,026 tons in 2022, respectively, detailed Agriculture.
In the local context, figures from the Panorama Agroalimentario del Servicio de Información Agroalimentaria y Pesquera (SIAP), show that, at the end of 2023, lemon production accounted for three million 240 thousand tonnes, 4.5% more than the three million 101 thousand tons of the previous year.
Michoacán is the main lemon-producing state, with 953,652 tonnes; followed by Veracruz, with 867,916 tonnes; Colima, 312,047 tonnes; Oaxaca, 300,310 tonnes; and Tamaulipas, with 135,886 tonnes.
Yucatán, Jalisco, Tabasco, Guerrero, and San Luis Potosí, also contributed a significant amount to the national volume.
Of this amount, the Secretariat explained that 41.3% corresponds to sour lemon (Mexican, seeded), followed by Persian and to a lesser extent Italian lemon.
Lime, a citrus fruit with a sour to sweet flavor, fleshy pulp, and outstanding aroma compared to other citrus fruits, also showed an increase in production in 2023, reported Agriculture.
Of its production, 9,302 tonnes were accounted for, with a value of 75 million 280 thousand pesos in 2023, 0.9% and 20% more compared to the nine thousand 222 tonnes and 62 million 685 thousand pesos in 2022, it reported.
Although the highest volumes of citrus harvests occur from August to September, the highest period of consumption among the population occurs at the end of the year with the cold months, shortly before the winter solstice and until February, due to its nutraceutical qualities, which strengthen the immune system and help prevent seasonal diseases.
