Celebrators were left crying in their mojitos on Cinco de Mayo over a continued lime shortage that has sent wholesale prices skyrocketing.
It”™s been called the Great Lime Shortage of 2014, and it couldn”™t have come at a worse time for local restaurants and bars, which have either had to up their prices or find creative alternatives to using limes. Guacamole bowls all over the country have had to go without that citrusy splash and gin and tonics have had to go without that green garnish due to an uptick in prices caused by supply problems from Mexico, which imports 98 percent of limes sold in the U.S. according to NPR.
Prices have skyrocketed to 54 cents per unit from 30 cents at the same time last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Restaurants are now seeing prices of more than $100 for a 40-pound case of limes that would have fetched less than $20 a year ago, reports said. The quality of the produce has decreased as demand has surged, due to harsh winter weather that depleted the supply to begin with. A CNN Money article also noted the influence of Mexican drug cartels on the price of limes.
