Florida citrus crop continues to shrink
Hurricane Irma continues to haunt Florida farmers, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday once again decreased its monthly estimate of the state’s 2017-18 citrus crop.
The USDA now says Florida will produce 46 million boxes of oranges, down 4 million from November and 8 million from October. The USDA makes its first estimate in October of each year and revises it monthly until the end of the season in July.
“This is exactly what we thought would happen as the true damage begins to rear its ugly head in the groves across Florida,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, the state’s largest grower organization. “Unfortunately, the situation is going to get worse before it gets better; we think the actual size of the 2017-18 crop will not be known until the season is over and all the fruit is picked.”
On Sept. 10, Hurricane Irma moved through the center of the state pounding Florida’s major citrus-producing regions with up to 110 mph winds and 15 inches of rain. The hurricane blew fruit off the trees and caused widespread tree damage. An FCM survey of growers conducted post-Irma pegged total fruit loss at almost 60 percent, with some reports of 100 percent fruit loss in the southwest part of the state.
Tuesday’s forecast represents a decline of more than 80 percent since the peak of citrus production at 244 million boxes during the 1997-98 season.