Year-long lime shortage caused by Cyclone Jasper coming to end

A staple of Coronas and gin and tonics, limes have been in short supply. But ahead of holiday season things are turning around.

A sustained lime shortage instigated by Cyclone Jasper is coming to an end just in time for Christmas Coronas and gin and tonics.

Limes have been a rarity on supermarket shelves in southern states following a battering of the region in far north Queensland that grows close to 80 per cent of the nation’s limes.

Mareeba and Dimbulah felt Jasper’s full fury, creating almost 12 months of disruption in the supply chain, leading to price spikes of what limes were available.

Limes have been in short supply on some supermarket shelves.

“What many people don’t know about lime trees is they crop all year round pretty much,” Chris Devaney from Brisbane-based supplier Favco said.

“When the floods and cyclones came along a lot of the nutrients got washed away and the trees went into shutdown mode.”

Limes are presently selling for more than $3 each in some places, but Mr Devaney said “we’re seeing volumes pick up as we speak”.

Corona beer and lime.

“We are on the cusp of it returning to normal,” he said.

“They will be in very reasonable supply at Christmas.

“It’s all Mother Nature.

“It’s not that farmers don’t want to give limes to the public.

“They are on the trees, but they are quite small and waiting for size.”

Mareeba lime grower Anthony Carusi said a huge amount of rain associated with the cyclone did the most damage to his trees.

“We didn’t really get much damage from wind,” he said.

“I was packing a fifth of what I was doing the year before.

“Most of the trees have started to recover now, but and I didn’t need to irrigate for four months because of the constant rain and water logging.”