Lime prices soar nationwide following shortage: Thailand

[ginjag]

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Found limes this morning in the market for 13 baht each. And expected to go higher, says the sales lady.

Got 10 small trees from a garden center last year 1 meter high, that had limes on the plant. Now they are in white blossom so I am happy I bought them.

Apart from the fruit the crushed leaves sap is anti mozzy.

The trees were only 70 baht each to buy. These shortages ??? I wonder if there are or is it a nice money spinner for someone.

Good luck The reason those small trees have limes on them is that they are over fed fertilizer in the garden center, so that they start to fruit. Then when people walk round they see tiny immature trees with fruit on and think 'how cool' and buy them. Once planted they will take many years to grow and are unlikely to produce fruit again under normal conditions for some time.

I drink lots of fresh squeezed lime with soda water every day (no added sugar!) and the price for limes has rocketed it was 120 baht per kilo today, that is more than a third of the minimum wage for a kilo of limes. Who would have thought ...a shortage of limes in Thailand...then again who would have thought Thailand not in premier position in the world rice market

You are right about how they feed--but yesterday I have white blossom on the trees so fruit for sure but I do put compost around that I make myself.

All my waste rubbish goes to compost-and household waste food. My miniature bananas, and coconuts do very well also. Don't buy tomatoes now first time got some Euopean type, set the seeds and after that keep many for drying and set in rotation--so not all are ready at the same time.

Unlike my dad put 5 rows of lettuce in and they all came up at the same time --always family joked about that.

[pennine]

A squeeze of lime in my Southern Comfort and ginger ale also goes down well.

[wandasloan]

Lime prices soar nationwide following shortage

Breaking news from 2012.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I remember the days when fruit was seasonal.

You ate a lot of the fruit that was cheap and grown locally in season.

You avoided the fruit that was expensive and imported out of season.

This month yellow mango is 25bht/Kg, next month Lychees, I'm looking forward to the fresh from the tree lychees.

[ginjag]

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so why don't farmers follow market trends and grow more limes and less rice?

maybe make more money by growing crops that are higher in value...

my lime tree at home is a lot barer of fruit compared to normal... but doesn't this always happen in the dry season?

Because by the time you see a market trend it is too late to follow it in this kind of situation. No body predicted the drought and there is no effective water management plan. If farmers plant loads of lime trees then in a few years when they are ready to bear fruit, if there is no drought, we will have a surfeit of limes selling at 5 baht a kilo. Next year if there is no major drought the markets stalls will be collapsing under the weight of limes.

Maybe the problem is bigger anyway. I noticed in our garden with good soil and the like. The trees had an abundance of flowers but not that much fruit has come out. I have noticed a lack of crawly things. Very few bees, very few ants running up and down the trees. Maybe there are diminishing populations of things to pollinate the flowers on the trees. No pollination, no fruit. Just a thought for those interested or who may have noticed similar. Time for a bee hive in the garden maybe.

Get some natural compost around the base, I put cut banana leaves around to keep moisture in-the compost attracts insects to help break it down, get flowers growing to get the butterflies back. powder fertilizer around he base as an extra. check for caterpillars.

[shunima]

I have dozens of pomelo and grapefruit trees, but until they're ready to bear (in about 6 weeks, thanks), I buy limes. Yes, they are going up in price. As a trade-off, the hill tribe lady I buy limes from, is really cute.

I need to plant some more lime trees. The 3 I have now, are in crappy soil.

That's probably more info than you care to hear, sorry.

Incidentally, why are there no grapefruit trees in Thailand, except at my 2 properties in Chiang Rai?

I think the answer is: Thais like everything either very sweet or very 'pet' (spicy) or bland (rice). Grapefruit are somewhere between, so are considered too preeo (sour) for the Thai palate. Actually, the real reason is; Thais who haven't traveled overseas, have never tasted grapefruit.

Similarly, all but a few Thais don't like avocado, but that's because they think they're too strange tasting. Burmese like 'em though.

I guess the real reason is... Who needs grapefruits when there is plenty of pomelo available all year long. Yum Yum :-)

[Andre0720]

Price for a one hour rental remains the same...

No shortage there.....

[MoonShadow]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

so why don't farmers follow market trends and grow more limes and less rice?

maybe make more money by growing crops that are higher in value...

my lime tree at home is a lot barer of fruit compared to normal... but doesn't this always happen in the dry season?

Because by the time you see a market trend it is too late to follow it in this kind of situation. No body predicted the drought and there is no effective water management plan. If farmers plant loads of lime trees then in a few years when they are ready to bear fruit, if there is no drought, we will have a surfeit of limes selling at 5 baht a kilo. Next year if there is no major drought the markets stalls will be collapsing under the weight of limes.

Maybe the problem is bigger anyway. I noticed in our garden with good soil and the like. The trees had an abundance of flowers but not that much fruit has come out. I have noticed a lack of crawly things. Very few bees, very few ants running up and down the trees. Maybe there are diminishing populations of things to pollinate the flowers on the trees. No pollination, no fruit. Just a thought for those interested or who may have noticed similar. Time for a bee hive in the garden maybe.

Get some natural compost around the base, I put cut banana leaves around to keep moisture in-the compost attracts insects to help break it down, get flowers growing to get the butterflies back. powder fertilizer around he base as an extra. check for caterpillars.

Two years ago when limes were retailing at around 6-8 Baht each my brother in law was getting less that 10 setang per lime; the wholesalers make the big profits. QED he reckoned it was actually costing him to grow and sell limes for market as the cost of fertiliser, pesticide and water outweighed the income......he replaced the lime trees with Mangoes......nice crop this year but now there's a glut of mangoes......you just can't win!!

[HUAHIN62]

Many vendors have difficulty coping with this situation, especially those in Betong Subdistrict, Yala Province, who claim that a single whole lime costs around 14 to 16 baht. Therefore, they have requested the government to come up with measures to alleviate their plight.

The sooner that farmers realize, that the government is not their sugar daddy who can make all things better, the sooner they can begin to prosper. It's called individual responsibility.

It's not the farmers asking for government help but the street vendors. The shortage of lemons happens every couple of years. Normally what happens is that more lemons are imported from Vietnam to supress the price. The Vietnamese lemons are however not of the same quality (much less juice) as the Thai produce.

[ggt]

It is those old disgruntled foreigner Thaivisa posters...coping as best they can...using up all the limes...in their gin and vodka tonics...

[Jim walker]

We hate the government so much’ and now can you please help us with our Lime crisis we need our wonderful loving government so we can have a proper Margareta made with real limes and not crap juice from a bottle.

[chickenslegs]

The ongoing drought crisis has caused lime trees to yield lower fruits,

That should make them easier to pick.

[Peterphuket]

I have them in my backyard for nothing, but from manao only, you can't live, but the noodles are also increasing, what next

[PhilipCook]

Just got back from florida and prices there are so high, my friend who manages restaurants there told me people are stealing them from growers over the mexican border.

[Mentors]

Maybe time for lime street protests...

[PhilipCook]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/03/26/294413761/in-mexico-and-u-s-lime-lovers-feel-squeezed-by-high-prices

[featography]

Found limes this morning in the market for 13 baht each. And expected to go higher, says the sales lady.

Got 10 small trees from a garden center last year 1 meter high, that had limes on the plant. Now they are in white blossom so I am happy I bought them.

Apart from the fruit the crushed leaves sap is anti mozzy.

The trees were only 70 baht each to buy. These shortages ??? I wonder if there are or is it a nice money spinner for someone.

Not familiar with the phrase, ''mozzy''. Whats it mean?'

[ginjag]

Found limes this morning in the market for 13 baht each. And expected to go higher, says the sales lady.

Got 10 small trees from a garden center last year 1 meter high, that had limes on the plant. Now they are in white blossom so I am happy I bought them.

Apart from the fruit the crushed leaves sap is anti mozzy.

The trees were only 70 baht each to buy. These shortages ??? I wonder if there are or is it a nice money spinner for someone.

Not familiar with the phrase, ''mozzy''. Whats it mean?'

Them nasty little flying sh## that suck your blood and give you malaria.

[edgarfriendly]

mozquitoez...

.....and let them eat that fake lime juice stuff in a bottle - its AROI (zarcazm)

[JRSoul]

As a money saver, I tried the artificial version (Calcium Hydroxide). Tasted bloody awful.

Edited April 30, 2014 by JRSoul

[ginjag]

As a money saver, I tried the artificial version (Calcium Hydroxide). Tasted bloody awful.

Have you tried the lime juice in the bottle from most outlets, it has a big % of lime juice but very -wow mix a lot of sugar with hot water and dilute the lemon concentrate cool in the fridge, not bad and about 22 baht for pint size. makes about 5 litres. save money---but sugar probs for some folk.