Future Looks Bright For Florida Citrus

By Growing Produce Staff|August 11, 2010

According to a Transworld Futures analyst, the orange crop in Florida might increase 22% over the next year.

Output may jump to 163 million boxes in the harvest that begins in October, compared with a three-year low of 133.6 million in 2009-2010, said Jimmy Tintle, who accurately predicted the crop decline in January. The new forecast is based on visits to citrus groves and interviews with growers. “We had plenty of moisture, and the frost in January didn’t affect the new crop as much as people had expected,” he said. “Trees are loaded with fruit, and the fruit size is good. That’s going to increase box count.”

The USDA reduced its forecast of the 2009-2010 crop to 129 million boxes in February. Since then, the department has raised its estimate three times. Click here to see summaries of the USDA crop forecasts.

Source: Bloomberg News