The municipalities of the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán, which are disputed by the Jalisco Nueva Generación Los Viagra Cartel and the United Cartels, produce 37.6 percent of the lemon consumed in Mexico.
“In 2023, lemon production was 3 million 240 thousand tons, that is, 4.5 percent more than the previous year,” reveals the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader). This lemon production is valued at 31 thousand 201 million pesos.
The central and western area of Michoacán is the largest producer of lemon in Mexico, after harvesting more than 953 thousand 652 tons last year. That means that they harvested 37.6 percent of the lemon in the entire country.
The southern and southeastern region of Veracruz produced 867,916 tons of lemon (or 20.1 percent), while central and western Colima harvested 312,047 tons of the fruit (or 14.3 percent).
The armed cells of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel are considered one of the main generators of violence in Michoacán, since they have a direct dispute with Los Viagra and Cárteles Unidos.
Los Viagras are an organized crime group formed by dissidents of Los Caballeros Templarios and La Familia Michoacana. While the Cárteles Unidos is made up of cells from the Gulf Cartel, the Zetas Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Organized crime is fighting over the municipalities of Aguililla, Apatzingán, Buenavista, Carácuaro, Churumuco, Huacana, Huetamo, Madero, Nocupétaro, Nuevo Urecho, Parácuaro, San Lucas, Tepalcatepec, Tacámbaro, and Turicato.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, governor of Michoacán, have been “unable to prevent extortion” of producers and lemon packing companies (distributors), said Guadalupe Mora Chávez.
Lupe Mora was the brother of Hipólito Mora, the late founder of the self-defense groups that took up arms against organized crime in Michoacán in 2014.
The largest lemon harvests are harvested in August, September, and October of each year in Michoacán, Veracruz, and Colima, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The high national and international demand for lemons produced in Mexico is covered throughout the year, with the largest volumes of harvests from August to October.”
At least 41.3 percent of the harvests are of sour lemons (Mexican, with seeds), followed by Persian and to a lesser extent Italian lemons, which have a high international demand due to their flavor and acidity.
Mexico stands out as the main producer of lemons, contributing 14.4 percent of the world total, ranking among the top five places.
With 3.7 million tons produced, India reaffirms its leadership in the world ranking. The second producer is China.
“Among the world exporters of citrus, Mexico holds the second place, its sales average 16.1 percent of the total, and it supplies the five main demanders in the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and France,” says Seder.
Mexico exported citrus to 24 countries in 2023: “705,308 tons were sent to the United States, an increase of 4.3 percent compared to the previous year. However, the volume sent to the Netherlands decreased by 65.2 percent, from 10,121 tons to 3,519 tons.”
Source: forbes
