Organic Citrus Update week 31

In the middle of the citrus season, we would like to send you some information regarding organic limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruits and mandarins. 

Organic limes and Fairtrade organic limes  

The demand for limes has been very good in recent weeks. Organic limes are even more sought after by consumers. The challenge is to have the best quality every week as no wax is used!  Our growers in different countries seem to have this well under control. Currently, there is still a shortage of good organic limes on the market.  The main problem is the heavy rainfall in Colombia, which limited the amount of good-quality fruit and occasionally left the quality to be desired. To hedge the risks in terms of quantity and quality, Eosta has been helping growers in several countries to grow organic limes. This way we can deliver yours well and your competitors really can't!    

• In the beginning of August we will start again with organic limes from our project in Morocco! This project is going better and better because of the good qualities, the reliability and of course less food miles
• From Brazil, the amount of limes is significantly less. From the South region (Sao Paulo) exports are temporarily banned because of citrus canker. In the North region (Bahia) there is currently a lot of rainfall and dark weather. Less limes are coming this way, but also mainly in smaller sizes
• Smaller quantities come from Colombia. The main harvest took place in spring
• The qualities from Peru are not good and there is a fosetyl problem in a project in Guatemala, so there is unfortunately no delivery to the EU.  

We recommend you to plan your new promotions from week 35 onwards, as the demand for (organic) limes will increase when the weather improves. Your competitors will not be able to follow suit!  

By the way, we can now also offer a year-round range of organic Fairtrade limes. 

Organic lemons  

In South Africa, there is a serious problem as Blackspot is suspected on part of a large farm in the Eastern Cape. As a result, a large part of the harvest is not being exported to the EU. Most likely, no lemons can be delivered to the EU from this area at all.  In other areas with earlier harvests, the citrus harvest has also been disappointing. During the period when the harvest is normally high, weeks of torrential rain in the Western Cape have delayed the citrus harvest in the Citrus Valley.  The Citrus Valley is unfortunately one of the areas most affected by infrastructure damage and road closures. In consequence, approximately 80% fewer lemons than expected will arrive from South Africa over the next three weeks.   

Lemons from Chile are mainly available from week 33 to week 42.  We expect a normal season with common sizes but very good qualities.  As Eosta we have been helping with many pre-harvest measures in the last months to further improve the quality.   Next week our warehouse will be flooded with organic lemons from Chile! Large volumes are on the way. The demand for lemons is high as the summer weather remains persistently very hot, resulting in high consumption and demand for lemons. Make sure your program and/or promo has been scheduled in advance and on time.  

Packaging, several options available: 

• 6  kg loose fust, carton
• 15 kg box
• layered 16, 18, 20, 22, 30 pcs
• tray / flowpack 10x500gr
• several nets including the sustainable cellulose net 300, 500, 750gr
• Natural Branding
• Other options available upon request

Unfortunately, the harvests in Peru suffer a lot from the weeks of rain and storms in spring. Large quantities cannot be exported because of the quality. Unfortunately, there will be more than 65% fewer shipments overall. Unfortunately, the fruits also have some skin damage. 

The harvests in the Dominican Republic are okay. There is a stable supply coming from here.

Organic oranges  

Regarding Egypt, the season for oranges is now finished.   

In South Africa, we are facing a serious problem. Unfortunately, our South African orange season is suddenly nearly over since we have very limited quantities at our disposal.  We may still be able to import oranges of the Delta variety from week 35, but this is not yet guaranteed. 

What is the cause of this problem? Last week, MPPA was found on organic grapefruits from one of the biggest growers in South Africa. The grower is also a large producer of organic oranges and mandarins. Therefore, we have decided not to sell the citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits and mandarins) from this grower as organic products until the cause is found.    

Oranges of the Delta variety may still be imported from South Africa as soon as this area seems free from Blackspot, but these will not arrive until week 35 at the earliest.  

We apologize for any inconvenience as a result of the situation in South Africa.  

Organic Grapefruit  

We will hardly import organic grapefruits from South Africa this season, since we are facing the same problems we experience with organic oranges. We will have an availability form Peru and/or  Mexico. 

Organic Citrus Specialties  

Citrus specialties like Citrus Caviar (Finger Limes), Limes, Kefir limes and much much more varieties are available from Maroc. Taste and smell them to discover the delights of diversity in citrus. 
 

Your Eosta account manager knows all juicy details in order to transport these products to your address.