What Is the Next Citrus Season in Florida Looking Like?
August 10, 2020 For Florida citrus growers and industry stakeholders, the struggle is real. And while positive strides have been made against HLB, the road living with the tree-killing disease has been filled with bumps. The crop tallies in recent years have served as confirmation. According to a newly released pre-season crop report by citrus economist Elizabeth Steger, the industry might be in for another setback.
Steger is predicting the all-Florida orange crop for 2020-2021 to come in at 62 million boxes. If realized, this would be a marked drop from this past season’s 67.65 million boxes harvested. Her estimate includes a range that stretches from as low as 59 million boxes, up to 65 million boxes of oranges.
She breaks down the median estimate as 27 million boxes of early and mid-season varieties, plus 35 million boxes of Valencia. Both figures represent a 9% and 8% drop from last season respectively.
Factors such as a continued decline of fruit-bearing trees, along with smaller fruit due to HLB pressure, were taken into Steger’s count.
Loading ...Last year at this time, Steger set her pre-season estimate at 73 million boxes of oranges (69 million to 77 million range). Her forecast tends to be the very first out of the gate and helps set the tone for those that follow. USDA’s initial crop estimate is scheduled to be released on Oct. 9.
So, how much have things changed for the Florida citrus industry over the years? The orange crop haul during the 1997-1998 season was a record at 244 million boxes.
Click here to see what several local citrus industry players are saying about the latest crop production outlook.
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