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Season calendar

Lemon export season by country

When Argentina, Spain, Turkey and South Africa ship lemons, month by month, and why the Southern Hemisphere window is a Northern one's decision.

In season all year across Argentina, South Africa, Spain and Turkey — some origin is at peak in every month.

Lemon export calendar: which origin ships in which month.
Origin January February March April May June July August September October November December
Argentina January: Not shipping February: Not shipping March: Shoulder April: Peak May: Peak June: Peak July: Peak August: Peak September: Peak October: Shoulder November: Not shipping December: Not shipping
South Africa January: Not shipping February: Not shipping March: Shoulder April: Peak May: Peak June: Peak July: Peak August: Peak September: Shoulder October: Not shipping November: Not shipping December: Not shipping
Spain January: Peak February: Peak March: Peak April: Shoulder May: Shoulder June: Shoulder July: Not shipping August: Not shipping September: Not shipping October: Peak November: Peak December: Peak
Turkey January: Peak February: Peak March: Peak April: Shoulder May: Shoulder June: Not shipping July: Not shipping August: Not shipping September: Shoulder October: Peak November: Peak December: Peak
Peak — shipping in volume Shoulder — opening or closing Export windows out of the origin, not arrival weeks. Add the lane's transit.

Last reviewed August 2026. Windows are editorial ranges for a normal year, not a published schedule, and they are export weeks out of the origin rather than arrival weeks in your market.

Lemons are traded as a gap-filling crop more than any other citrus. Spain and Turkey ship through the Northern Hemisphere winter and spring, a few weeks apart rather than on top of each other; Argentina, the largest exporter in the world, ships from about April into September, straight into the months both have vacated. South Africa runs alongside Argentina.

Because lemons store and ship well, the price is set by supply gaps rather than by quality differences between origins. A buyer watching this calendar is watching for the weeks where one hemisphere has finished and the other has not started.

Argentina

April–September peak · March, October shoulder Varieties: Eureka, Lisbon Load ports: San Antonio Este, Buenos Aires, and Zárate

Roughly April to September out of Tucumán. Argentina is the largest lemon exporter in the world and this window is the reason: it opens as Spain and Turkey finish, and it holds the Northern Hemisphere market until they come back.

Argentina lemon: window and arrival weeks · Everything Argentina ships

South Africa

April–August peak · March, September shoulder Varieties: Eureka Load ports: Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha

Roughly March to September, on the same window as Argentina and into the same Northern Hemisphere gap.

South Africa lemon: window and arrival weeks · Everything South Africa ships · South Africa → Rotterdam

Spain

October–March peak · April–June shoulder Varieties: Fino, Verna Load ports: Valencia, Algeciras, and Barcelona

Roughly October to June across two varieties: Fino through the winter, Verna into the early summer. Between them Spain covers most of the Northern Hemisphere year.

Spain lemon: window and arrival weeks · Everything Spain ships

Turkey

October–March peak · April–May, September shoulder Varieties: Interdonato, Lamas, Kütdiken Load ports: Mersin, İzmir, and Istanbul

Interdonato opens in September, Lamas and Kütdiken carry from October into the spring, and stored fruit ships past that into the early summer. Mersin is the port.

Turkey lemon: window and arrival weeks · Everything Turkey ships

FAQ

When are lemons in season?
Lemons are available year-round. Some origin among Argentina, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey is at peak in every month, so the question is which origin and which lane rather than when.
Which countries export lemons?
Argentina, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey. These are export weeks out of the origin, not arrival weeks in your market — add the lane's transit on top.
When is the Argentina lemon season?
Argentina ships lemons April–September, with March and October at the shoulders.

Importing lemon? Trackberry tracks those containers and reads the paperwork that arrives with them, in one place. See how it works for produce importers, or book a 20-minute chat.

The same origins also ship

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