Florida agricultural damage from Irma tops $2.5 billion
TALLAHASSEE — Hurricane Irma caused more than $2.5 billion in damage to Florida’s agriculture industry, with citrus growers and nurseries suffering big losses, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Citrus growers, already struggling because of citrus greening disease, felt the biggest impact, with losses in crops and trees approaching $761 million, followed by the nursery industry at almost $624 million.
“Florida agriculture took it on the chin as Hurricane Irma pummeled the state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who called the $2.5 billion figure “only an initial assessment” that’s likely to grow “as we account for loss of future production and the cost to rebuild infrastructure.”
A department report said estimates haven’t been made on infrastructure losses sustained by some growers or on damage to things such as internal farm roads, dikes, water-control structures and retention areas. The report is based on satellite imagery, statistics, and early surveys of the industry.
The state Senate Agriculture Committee is slated to discuss the impact of Irma on the agriculture industry in a meeting Oct. 12, just before the release of the first U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast for the citrus growing season.
Shortly after the storm, citrus growers were reporting losses from 40 percent in Central Florida to 100 percent in Southwest Florida. Irma hit the Florida Keys on Sept. 10 and then made a second landfall in Southwest Florida.
The newly released report, compiled by Sergio Alvarez, chief economist for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, estimates 421,176 acres of citrus were affected in Collier, Hendry, Lee, Brevard, Glades, Charlotte, St. Lucie, Highlands, Indian River, Okeechobee, DeSoto, Hardee, Osceola, Polk and Martin counties.
Meanwhile, the nursery industry estimated that 46,204 acres of greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production was affected.