Argentina’s lemon export complex reaches 20-year value record

Argentina's exports from the sour citrus complex, mainly lemon, increased sharply in the first four months of 2026 and reached their highest value in 20 years, according to Argentina’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

Export value rose 36% year-on-year to USD $108m, while volume increased 50% to 50,085 tonnes, according to data processed by the Subsecretariats of Agri-Food Markets and International Integration, and Regional Economies and Small and Medium Producers.

The growth was partly driven by fresh lemons, whose exports rose 76% in volume and 129% in value to USD $26m. That represented an increase of USD $14.7m compared with the same period of 2025.

Concentrated lemon juice also posted gains, with exports up 23.6% in volume and 67.1% in value to USD $32.4m, adding USD $13m year-on-year.

Argentina’s main destinations for sour citrus exports included the United States, Ireland, the Netherlands, Russia and Italy. The strongest increases were reported in China, Spain, France, Japan and Greece.

The government said the result coincides with the Southern Hemisphere harvest peak, which supports supply to European markets and the United States.

source and photo: argentina.gob.ar