According to USDA’s initial 2015-2016 citrus forecast, Florida growers have their work cut out for them. The initial projection for the upcoming season has orange production pegging at a jaw-dropping 80 million boxes.
To put some perspective on the projection, the final tally of the 2014-2015 Florida all orange season settled at 96.7, the lowest harvest total since the 1965-1966 season.
“On the heels of the smallest orange crop in nearly 50 years last season, this initial citrus crop estimate confirms that Florida’s citrus industry is in a fight for its life,” said Adam Putnam, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture.
The October orange estimate breaks down as follows: 40 million boxes of early, midseason, Navel, and Temple varieties; plus 40 million boxes of Valencias.
“We are in a challenging time right now with severe disease pressure, but Florida growers continue to be the best producers in the world,” said Mike Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “The key going forward is to keep existing trees productive and get new trees in the ground so we can rebuild our production base while maintaining the current infrastructure.”
The overall grapefruit estimate came in at 12.3 million boxes. This figure is close to on par with what was seen last season.
Monthly updates from USDA will continue through July.
Click here to view the entire forecast in detail.
The next update from USDA is scheduled for November 10.