As Cinco de Mayo approaches, be prepared to pay more for your guacamole than you ever have–a lot more.
As we've been saying for over a month (and the first ones in the English-language media, mind you), lime prices have been skyrocketing due to the fact that 95 percent of limes sold in the United States are grown in Mexico–and we know what a paragon of peace THAT country is right now. But how bad is the crisis? There's such a shortage of limes being sold up here that the U.S. Department of Agriculture isn't even bothering to provide quotes for cases of limes right now–unprecedented.
And it's only going to get worse.
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According to an article in The Packer, the bible of the produce-selling industry, lime prices are expected to increase further through Cinco de Mayo due to a shortage in the crop and a traditional resting period around Easter for the lime growers. Limes, of course, are a crucial yet overlooked ingredient for guac.
And the same is true for avocados, another industry plagued by drug cartels: prices are higher than last year but have yet to hit the stunning costs of limes. Avocados, of course, are THE ingredient for guacamole.
“I think we'll be able to supply promotions, but they definitely won't be loss-leader-type promotions,” one grower told The Packer. “After Easter, can we get inventories to supply the market quickly enough? Yes, we can, but we'll have to pay pretty good money for them.”
Moral of the story? Be like a Mexican already and grow your own damn avocado and lime trees. And stay up all night with a shotgun to ensure your neighbors don't steal them…
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