Overall, the value of lemons and limes exports rose by an average 17.7% for all exporting countries since 2015 when shipments were valued at $2.9 billion. From 2018 to 2019, the value for these specific exported commodities declined by -10.4%.
Among continents, suppliers in Europe sold the highest dollar worth of exported lemons and limes during 2019 with shipments valued at $1.4 billion or 41.8% of the global total. In second place were North American exporters at 21.4% while 13.4% of worldwide lemons and limes shipments originated from Asia. This compares to 13.2% for Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean. Smaller percentages came from Africa (9.9%) and Oceania (0.3%) led by New Zealand and Australia.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 080550 for fresh or dried lemons and limes. Specifically excluded are plastic containers of concentrated lemon or lime juice shaped to resemble the citrus fruit.
Lemons and Limes Exporters by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of lemons and limes during 2019.
- Spain: US$828.6 million (24.7% of total lemons/limes exports)
- Mexico: $523.1 million (15.6%)
- Netherlands: $339.1 million (10.1%)
- South Africa: $282.2 million (8.4%)
- Turkey: $243.6 million (7.3%)
- United States: $195.2 million (5.8%)
- Argentina: $183.8 million (5.5%)
- China: $153.2 million (4.6%)
- Chile: $94.3 million (2.8%)
- Brazil: $93.7 million (2.8%)
- Italy: $77.9 million (2.3%)
- Egypt: $39.1 million (1.2%)
- Colombia: $35.2 million (1%)
- Germany: $26.8 million (0.8%)
- France: $24.7 million (0.7%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 93.5% of global lemons and limes exported in 2019 by value.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of lemons or limes since 2015 were: Colombia (up 449.6%), China (up 333.0%), Egypt (up 170.3%) and Mexico (up 42.5%).
Three countries posted declines in their sales of exported lemons or limes were: Germany (down -33%), Turkey (down -17.1%) and the United States (down -11.5%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for lemons and limes during 2019. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported lemons and limes versus its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Spain: US$759.4 million (net export surplus up 16.2% since 2015)
- Mexico: $521.6 million (up 42.9%)
- South Africa: $281.4 million (up 16.9%)
- Turkey: $242.4 million (down -16.7%)
- Argentina: $183.5 million (up 11%)
- China: $137 million (up 9,811%)
- Brazil: $89.7 million (up 17.9%)
- Chile: $78.8 million (up 22.6%)
- Netherlands: $43.4 million (up 194.4%)
- Egypt: $39.1 million (up 170.3%)
- Colombia: $34.9 million (up 465.2%)
- Peru: $13 million (up 162.5%)
- Vietnam: $12.3 million (down -28.7%)
- Uruguay: $11.8 million (down -39.4%)
- Morocco: $8.4 million (up 78.8%)
Spain generated the highest surplus in the international trade of lemons and limes. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Spain’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for lemons and limes during 2019. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s import purchases of lemons and limes versus its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$496.7 million (net export deficit up 162.4% since 2015)
- Germany: -$290.1 million (up 34.9%)
- Russia: -$200.6 million (up 18.2%)
- France: -$197.8 million (up 8.5%)
- United Kingdom: -$168.8 million (up 5.3%)
- Poland: -$135.7 million (up 27.8%)
- Canada: -$128.4 million (up 11.8%)
- Japan: -$113.5 million (up 10.5%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$83.7 million (up 16.1%)
- Italy: -$74 million (down -22.6%)
- Romania: -$62.5 million (up 24.4%)
- Austria: -$51.2 million (up 34.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$47.4 million (down -51.6%)
- Switzerland: -$47 million (up 18.3%)
- Iraq: -$44.6 million (up 1.9%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of lemons and limes. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for suppliers of lemons and limes that help satisfy the powerful American consumer demand for these citrus fruits.
Companies
Lemons/Limes Export Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers sell lemons and limes internationally. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
- Alfafood GmbH (Germany)
- Italian Food Traders (Italy)
- Jining Eagle International Trade Co, Ltd (China)
- Mexican Star Co (Mexico)
- Molobela ML Trading (South Africa)
- Novagen Genetica LtdA-EPP (Brazil)
- Salix Fruits LLC (United States)
- Serinmose SL (Spain)
- Turkish Citron Lemon Interdonato Lamas (Turkey)
- Valexotique (France)
Searchable List of Countries Exporting Lemons and Limes in 2019
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2018 data was unavailable.
| Rank | Exporter | Lemons/Limes Exports (US$) | 2018-9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Spain | $828,605,000 | -3% |
| 2. | Mexico | $523,082,000 | -4.3% |
| 3. | Netherlands | $339,077,000 | -17.7% |
| 4. | South Africa | $282,157,000 | +4.7% |
| 5. | Turkey | $243,643,000 | -26.1% |
| 6. | United States | $195,210,000 | -3.6% |
| 7. | Argentina | $183,764,000 | -34.1% |
| 8. | China | $153,184,000 | +60.8% |
| 9. | Chile | $94,314,000 | -2% |
| 10. | Brazil | $93,693,000 | +4.7% |
| 11. | Italy | $77,895,000 | -10.7% |
| 12. | Egypt | $39,076,000 | +30.9% |
| 13. | Colombia | $35,154,000 | +44.5% |
| 14. | Germany | $26,844,000 | -24.6% |
| 15. | France | $24,745,000 | -30.3% |
| 16. | Vietnam | $22,899,000 | -50.8% |
| 17. | Portugal | $22,863,000 | -10.6% |
| 18. | Peru | $12,991,000 | +37.5% |
| 19. | Uruguay | $12,663,000 | -13.2% |
| 20. | Austria | $11,185,000 | -2.7% |
| 21. | Bulgaria | $10,941,000 | -37.6% |
| 22. | Greece | $9,217,000 | -10.1% |
| 23. | Morocco | $8,702,000 | +118.8% |
| 24. | Hong Kong | $8,533,000 | -41.1% |
| 25. | Belgium | $7,315,000 | -30.7% |
| 26. | Slovenia | $7,094,000 | -5.4% |
| 27. | United Kingdom | $6,750,000 | -7.4% |
| 28. | India | $6,334,000 | -5.7% |
| 29. | New Zealand | $6,302,000 | +18.3% |
| 30. | Uzbekistan | $5,299,000 | +70.8% |
| 31. | Czech Republic | $4,923,000 | -26% |
| 32. | Australia | $4,773,000 | -18.1% |
| 33. | Denmark | $4,682,000 | -41.6% |
| 34. | Guatemala | $4,547,000 | -45.8% |
| 35. | Slovakia | $3,495,000 | +122.2% |
| 36. | Lithuania | $3,204,000 | +28.4% |
| 37. | Poland | $2,982,000 | +37% |
| 38. | Hungary | $2,967,000 | +132.9% |
| 39. | Taiwan | $2,531,000 | -11.3% |
| 40. | Somalia | $2,410,000 | -70.3% |
| 41. | Russia | $2,225,000 | +22.7% |
| 42. | Latvia | $2,084,000 | -18.7% |
| 43. | Singapore | $1,835,000 | -21.6% |
| 44. | Honduras | $1,660,000 | +113.9% |
| 45. | Malaysia | $1,491,000 | -5.1% |
| 46. | Eswatini | $1,384,000 | +100.6% |
| 47. | Dominican Republic | $1,118,000 | -79.4% |
| 48. | Ireland | $1,009,000 | -40.4% |
| 49. | El Salvador | $988,000 | +34.8% |
| 50. | Georgia | $908,000 | +2,115% |
| 51. | Sweden | $762,000 | -26.8% |
| 52. | Romania | $692,000 | -47.6% |
| 53. | Thailand | $594,000 | +123.3% |
| 54. | Cyprus | $590,000 | +20.4% |
| 55. | Lebanon | $551,000 | -3.2% |
| 56. | Iran | $550,000 | -93.5% |
| 57. | Ecuador | $520,000 | +72.8% |
| 58. | Luxembourg | $514,000 | +11% |
| 59. | Indonesia | $482,000 | -25.6% |
| 60. | Croatia | $419,000 | -38.3% |
| 61. | Yemen | $394,000 | -55.7% |
| 62. | Israel | $388,000 | -87.1% |
| 63. | Saudi Arabia | $367,000 | -93% |
| 64. | New Caledonia | $358,000 | +222.5% |
| 65. | Bolivia | $322,000 | +24.8% |
| 66. | Bangladesh | $312,000 | -18.3% |
| 67. | Kazakhstan | $172,000 | +760% |
| 68. | United Arab Emirates | $156,000 | -99.8% |
| 69. | Serbia | $140,000 | -36.4% |
| 70. | Switzerland | $126,000 | -1.6% |
| 71. | Belize | $112,000 | +11,100% |
| 72. | Tunisia | $98,000 | -73.9% |
| 73. | Belarus | $91,000 | -63% |
| 74. | Sri Lanka | $66,000 | -94% |
| 75. | Guyana | $65,000 | -82.2% |
| 76. | Syria | $61,000 | -71% |
| 77. | Zimbabwe | $60,000 | -3.2% |
| 78. | French Polynesia | $58,000 | +1,060% |
| 79. | Kyrgyzstan | $53,000 | +381.8% |
| 80. | Montenegro | $48,000 | +6.7% |
| 81. | Ukraine | $47,000 | -88.9% |
| 82. | Estonia | $44,000 | +2.3% |
| 83. | Timor-Leste | $43,000 | +4,200% |
| 84. | Guam | $40,000 | -57.9% |
| 85. | Tajikistan | $34,000 | +325% |
| 86. | Finland | $33,000 | -15.4% |
| 87. | Afghanistan | $33,000 | 0% |
| 88. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $28,000 | 0% |
| 89. | Burkina Faso | $26,000 | +36.8% |
| 90. | Venezuela | $26,000 | -92.5% |
| 91. | Madagascar | $24,000 | +41.2% |
| 92. | Qatar | $19,000 | 0% |
| 93. | Vanuatu | $18,000 | -80.6% |
| 94. | Jordan | $16,000 | -98.7% |
| 95. | North Macedonia | $14,000 | -75.9% |
| 96. | South Korea | $13,000 | 0% |
| 97. | Canada | $13,000 | -7.1% |
| 98. | Myanmar (Burma) | $12,000 | +200% |
| 99. | Ghana | $12,000 | -72.1% |
| 100. | Norway | $6,000 | -85.7% |
| 101. | Japan | $5,000 | 0% |
| 102. | Tanzania | $5,000 | 0% |
| 103. | Palestine | $3,000 | -99.7% |
| 104. | Albania | $3,000 | 0% |
| 105. | Uganda | $3,000 | -99.2% |
| 106. | Pakistan | $2,000 | -98.8% |
| 107. | Philippines | $2,000 | +100% |
| 108. | Mozambique | $2,000 | -33.3% |
| 109. | Botswana | $2,000 | 0% |
| 110. | Bhutan | $2,000 | 0% |
| 111. | Azerbaijan | $2,000 | 0% |
| 112. | Dominica | $1,000 | 0% |
| 113. | Jamaica | $1,000 | 0% |
| 114. | Kenya | $1,000 | -99.7% |
| 115. | Iceland | $1,000 | -50% |
| 116. | Iraq | $1,000 | -94.4% |
| 117. | Kuwait | $1,000 | -99.9% |
| 118. | Namibia | $1,000 | 0% |
See also Apples Exports by Country, Oranges Exports by Country and Kiwifruits Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for lemons. Accessed on May 13, 2020
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on May 13, 2020
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 13, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 13, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 13, 2020
Wikipedia, Citrus production. Accessed on May 13, 2020
