2014-2015 Florida orange estimate drops
Early-mid varieties increased slightly to 47.4 million boxes while Valencia oranges dipped 6 million boxes to 49 million.
"There is no doubt about it we are certainly in challenging times. This decrease is not a surprise from what we've been hearing out in the field," said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. "I would expect this kind of drop to put upward pressure on grower returns and that's a silver lining."
"The good news is we continue to produce the best citrus in the world even faced with the current pest and disease pressure."
The USDA makes its initial estimate in October of each year and revises it monthly as the crop takes shape until the end of the season in July.
During the 2013-2014 season, Florida produced 104 million boxes of oranges. Visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Florida/Publications/Citrus/cpfp.htm for the complete USDA estimate.
The USDA's estimate of the 2014-2015 Florida grapefruit crop dropped to 12.9 million boxes from 13 million. Specialty citrus stayed at 3 million boxes. The yield for frozen concentrate orange juice (FCOJ) dipped to 1.49 gallons per 90-pound box.
For more information:
Andrew Meadows
Florida Citrus Mutual
Tel: +1 (863) 682-1111
www.flcitrusmutual.com