A Mexican lime industry representative says unexpected rains recently have affected 20-30% of flowering in orchards in the state of Colima, website Colimanoticias.com reported.

State Council of Lime Growers (Coeplim) president Oscar Ávalos Verdugo told the publication the weather event has made matters worse for a lime industry that was still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Patricia last year.

"Plantations are currently flowering again as in the months of October and November there were rains because of Hurricane Patricia, which knocked about flowering and the fruit we had then - now the fruit will go out in 90 days and that delays harvests even further," Ávalos Verdugo was quoted as saying.

The executive told the publication there were very strong rains above 500mm in the aftermath of the hurricane, leading to a more moderate production forecast.

However, there are some positives to be found.

"We didn't find what is known as anthracnose, which is the loss of flowering and damage to the fruit - it has to do with considerations like wind, sun and the intensity of the rain. The three have to complement each other," he told the publication.

Photo: COEPLIM

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