( CNN ) -- Dressed in a white cowboy hat and shirt in the merciless sun , 63-year-old Juan Leana Malpica proudly pulls a branch down in his lime grove and cups a fruit . His limes , he says , set themselves apart by their juiciness . He has been growing the fruit for the last 12 years and has never experienced a time of such upheaval . Officially , lime prices are in a spiral of hyperinflation , the national average jumping at a monthly average of around 50 % this year . Leana Malpica says he is receiving an even wider margin for his produce in the state of Morelos . He pinpoints a variety of factors in Mexico for the soaring prices . `` There 's the devastation caused by a citrus disease , '' he says . `` Then there is climate change . With the arrival of winter there has been a cold snap in nearby states . And what I feel is most devastating are the price speculators . '' Another factor is the continuing violence in the state of Michoacan , a top lime producer . Vigilante groups there are battling drug cartels , with the federal government caught in the middle . Many growers ca n't -- or wo n't -- put trucks on the road . Those hardest hit are inevitably working class Mexicans , who rely on the staple for drinks , garnishes and ingredients for most dishes . `` I normally buy two kilos , '' one shopper at a market in Mexico City tells me . `` But now I buy a half and only use them for absolute essentials . '' Mexico is the world 's largest lime producer and export markets have also felt the brunt of rising costs . Some U.S. airlines have announced they are restricting the service of limes on flights and Mexican restaurants are absorbing greater costs . U.S.-based Rosa Mexicano is a high-end chain with 19 locations around the world . They buy more than one million limes a year . `` I can tell you this time last year we were paying approximately $ 36 a case , '' says manager Jay Holmes . `` The first delivery this morning was $ 110 a case . We 've not passed that onto the guest and do n't plan to . '' So while you may not be paying more for your margarita right now , profits are being squeezed . If lime prices stay the same , Rosa Mexicano estimates it will have to pay an additional $ 650,000 this year . For Mexican producers like Juan Leana Malpica who have not been hit by shortages , all this represents a big payday . He plans to use the profits to expand , upgrading his fertilizer and irrigation systems . The Mexican government , too , is trying to boost supply . Although the scale of the lime crisis is unique this year , the early months traditionally see a shortfall . `` We have just generated a technology in Morelos which will launch in September , '' says Agriculture Ministry official Rafael Ambriz Cervantes . `` We will trim the branches of lime trees and immediately apply nitrogen to induce flowering . And this flowering in the month of October will produce limes in February , March and April . '' Consumers and businesses will have to wait until 2015 to see how effective the program is . The hope is that the brand of a key Mexican crop has not been tarnished . WATCH MORE : Why it 's time to buy in the emerging markets .
Limes are in a spiral of hyperinflation , with prices doubling every month this year . Those hardest hit are working class Mexicans , who rely on limes for their dishes . Profits are being squeezed and the pain may soon be felt beyond Mexico .