Florida Grapefruit Gains More Ground on the Season

The 2019-2020 Florida citrus season is about halfway through. And so far, not bad. The latest crop forecast from USDA indicates modest, but continued growth for grapefruit. The news is welcome for that part of the sector, which has been hit particularly hard by pests, disease, and natural disasters since record production of the late 1990s.

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USDA’s February estimate raised the grapefruit total to 5.9 million boxes, up 500,000 boxes from last month and up 1 million boxes from December. During the 1997-1998 season, Florida grapefruit producers harvested and packed 49.5 million boxes!

“Grapefruit production rebound is significant and presents an optimistic vision for Florida grapefruit in the near future,” Shannon Shepp, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Citrus, said in reaction to the latest numbers.

Government agency forecasters did subtract 2 million boxes of oranges — 1 million from Valencia and 1 million from non-Valencia varieties — for a February total of 72 million boxes. It was the first adjustment for the crop since the season’s opening estimate.

“Entering the Valencia harvest period with relatively stable numbers remains a positive sign for Florida’s iconic citrus industry,” Shepp added.

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