Citrus Forecast Gets Another Hit

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s orange production outlook fell again Wednesday as efforts intensify to help citrus growers hit by Hurricane Ian.

The USDA released a revised forecast that Florida growers will load 16 million 90-pound cases of oranges during the current season. This is below the January forecast of 18 million cases and will be the lowest since 15.9 million cases were filled in the 1935-1936 season.

The revised outlook did not change those for grapefruit and specialty citrus fruits, which could also be at their lowest production in decades.

Florida farmers were affected by Hurricane Ian, which struck in late September, when the season began, and from winter frosts. They also fought for two decades with the deadly citrus greening disease.

Pointing out the challenges facing the industry, Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Matt Joyner said in a statement Wednesday that “while the current crop size is a real disappointment, we are not giving up.”

“In the groves, Florida citrus growers are seeing real positive results from the new treatments we’ve implemented this season to combat greening,” Joyner said. “Finally, we see a way forward and our future holds great promise.”

Mark Hudson, a government statistician for the USDA, said during a conference call that the orange harvest outside of Valencia is almost complete and the percentage drop in Valencia oranges in the state was higher than in January.

With a projected production of 1.5 million cases of grapefruit and 500,000 cases of specialty crops, the total will be the lowest since the 1927-1928 season.

Even before Yang made landfall in southwest Florida, production in the industry was forecast to drop by one-third from the 2021-2022 growing season, which ended in July. September surveys identified trees with smaller fruits and fewer oranges per tree.

Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis released the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget proposal, which includes $29 million for citrus protection and research. Lawmakers will consider the proposal during a spending plan discussion during the legislative session, which begins on March 7.

The current year’s budget, effective July 1, includes $37 million for the industry, with the largest amounts being $17 million for Citrus Department marketing programs, $8 million for research programs, and $6.2 million for what is known as Citrus Health Response Program, which includes growing new landscaping resistant trees.

Meanwhile, a federal law introduced last week by U.S. Senator Rick Scott, D-Fla., U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, D.F., U.S. Representative Scott Franklin, D.F., and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., would establish a blockchain program USDA grants to expedite aid to Florida growers in the event of a hurricane.

In December, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion overall spending bill that includes $3.742 billion in crop and livestock losses nationwide in 2022.

Florida Citrus Mutual has raised concerns that some Florida growers may be bypassed because the package does not include a block grant program similar to the one created after Hurricane Irma damaged groves in 2017.

“The (recently proposed) Block Grant Relief Act will allow Florida citrus growers to restore and replant plants so we can continue to harvest and produce America’s beloved breakfast juice,” Joyner said in a press release Monday.

In 2017, Florida’s Office of Emergency Management received a $343 million federal block grant to distribute to manufacturers.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida estimated that Yan caused $1.07 billion in agricultural damage, including $247 million suffered by citrus growers.

The Florida Citrus Department, pointing to larger losses due to Yang’s impact on trees, expects to need between $387 million and $635 million in federal assistance.

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