News and Stories

Markon First Crop (MFC) and Markon Essentials (ESS) Lemons are available. Prices are steady; domestic and offshore supplies are adequate. The Southern California growing region is the primary growing area for domestic lemons until new crop Arizona/California Desert harvesting begins in September. Packer label Chilean lemons are available on the East and West Coasts; prices are comparable to/slightly lower than domestic lemons. Mexican fruit will be on the market by mid-August. The market will ease at that time.

California

• MFC and ESS Lemons are available; packer label is being substituted as needed
• California’s Southern Coast is the primary growing region from June to September
• Quality is fairly good; the coastal growing region experiences more challenges compared to the San Joaquin Valley and Arizona/California Desert areas
• High humidity and strong winds lead to more bruising and scarring than normal
• Occasional internal issues that are undetectable at shipping points are not uncommon; currently there is no technology to detect internal issues in packing facilities
• Overall quality tends to decrease during the summer months due to these conditions
• Small sizes (200- and 235-count) are limited; supplies are dominated by 115- and 140- count sizes
• Prices have leveled now that offshore fruit is on the market; expect prices to ease by mid-August, when Mexican lemons become available
• Domestic quality will not improve and supply levels will not increase until new crop Arizona/California Desert harvesting starts in September

Chile

• Packer label Chilean lemons are available for loading on both coasts
• Fruit is available in fancy grade (with stickers) and choice grade (without stickers)
• Sizes are dominated by 140-count and larger fruit; the crop contains very few 165- or 200-count sizes
• Chilean lemons are packed in 17kg/37-pound cartons (72 per pallet) versus domestic lemons that are shipped in 18kg/40-pound cartons (54 per pallet)
• Quality is good: green color is a slight problem in choice grade fruit (photo attached)
• Prices are comparable to/slightly lower than the California market
• The season will run through early October

Mexico

• Although the season will start by mid-August, MFC Lemons will not be available until late August
• Supplies will be available for loading out of Delano, California and Mission, Texas
• Early season estimates predict the crop will be dominated by 165-count and smaller fruit
• Prices will be competitive; this market is typically lower than that for California domestic lemons

South Africa

• “Black spot” is a citrus fungus found in South African lemons that prevents these supplies from being shipped to the United States
• A cold treatment which sterilizes the fruit is required prior to importing South African citrus
• This process involves storing fruit at near-freezing temperatures for an extended period of time to kill any fungus
• Unlike oranges, lemons are at high risk of freeze damage during this process because they do not have high enough sugar content to keep the pulp from freezing
• Therefore, South African lemons are rarely imported into the United States
• The majority of fruit is currently being shipped to Canada and Europe, where there are no cold treatment requirements
• South African lemons are packed in 15kg/33-pound cartons versus 18kg/40-pound domestic cartons
• Landed costs into Canadian markets are often lower than those for California domestic lemons

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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