The besieged Florida citrus industry seeks aid after Irma

TALLAHASSEE — A long wait may be ahead for broad federal relief for Florida’s beleaguered citrus industry, “decimated” last week by a lethal hurricane that crossed the peninsula at the start of the growing season, state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Wednesday.

Putnam, a Bartow Republican running for governor, advised Florida Citrus Commission members that the agriculture industry — the state’s second-largest industry after tourism — could be at the mercy of Congress to land broader federal assistance for crops ravaged by Hurricane Irma.

“Comparable disaster assistance programs, to what we’ve seen in the past, will now require an act of Congress,” the former member of the U.S. House said. “And as a recovering congressman, I can assure you that nothing moves as fast as we’d like in Washington.”

Putnam, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Thomas Rooney took an aerial tour Monday of a number of groves in Southwest Florida.

Perdue, a former Georgia governor, tweeted Monday, “Staggering crop loss from #Irma will test resilience of growers.”

Insurance is expected to help many citrus growers cover crop losses, and federal rural-development loan programs are available. Perdue said in a separate tweet that he will ask Congress for additional aid.

Citrus Commission Chairman G. Ellis Hunt, president of citrus groves and packing houses in Lake Wales, said “jobs are in limbo” for an industry that employees about 45,000 people.

Estimates of Hurricane Irma’s effects range from 40 percent to 100 percent losses for growers, although an overall figure is not available.

Nevertheless, Putnam said the industry will survive as it has past freezes, storms and other disasters.

“This is a resilient industry,” he said.

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