10.5% increase in the EU lemon market

In 2015, total imports of lemons inside and outside the EU reached 1.08 million tons for a total value of €1.22 billion.

Two-thirds of imported lemons’ value and half the volume were traded within the EU. IntraEU imports were worth €877.22 million while extra-EU imports came to €344.52 million. Over the last 3 years, lemon imports have increased by 10.5% on average.

The biggest European lemon importers are Germany (150,819 tons), France (131,588 tons), Italy (114,700 tons) and Poland (102,731 tons). The Netherlands and the UK reached the same volume of fresh lemon imports of 96,000 tons.

As for the source of the imports, Italian imports more and more from within the EU (+156% between 2013 and 2015), while Germany gets more supplies from outside the EU (+152% between 2013 and 2015).

Italy as a major European partner

In 2015, the biggest supplier for European lemons in Europe was Spain (533,864 tons), followed by Germany (64,267 tons) and Italy (35,575 tons). From outside Europe, the EU importers are supplied from Argentina (130,263 tons) Turkey (113,467 tons) and South Africa (41,191 tons).

This article was first published in edition 145 (Sep-Oct 2016) of Eurofresh Distribution magazine on page 80. Read more citrus and other fresh produce news from that issue at: www.eurofresh-distribution.com/magazine/145-2016-sepoct.