France’s annual lemon festival struggles with scarcity of prized crop [Video]

• The French lemon festival gathers over 140 tons of citrus for elaborate floats and displays, but none of it is the prized Menton lemon due to scarcity.
• Menton was once a prominent lemon-growing region in Europe, but factors such as tourism led to the decline of lemon orchards.
• Only 56 small producers now grow Menton lemons, facing challenges such as land development and climate change.

When the French Riviera town of Menton prepares to host its lemon festival each year, it assembles more than 140 tons of citrus to build the ornate floats and showy park displays that attract thousands to the Fete du Citron. But none of it is the actual Menton lemon, a prized variety whose fans included King Louis XIV, who enjoyed drinking its juice and bathing in its essential oils.

They’re too precious — and there aren’t enough of them, either.

“Honestly, we prefer that people …