Steven Callaham, CEO of Dundee Citrus Growers Association, says the groves look great. He states that the Association is the largest fresh fruit cooperative in Polk County, with more than 200 citrus grower members and accounting for 10,000 acres of groves in 20 counties.
“Fruit size is good. Fruit quality is good. The number of pieces on the tree are much better than last year so I am very pleased with this grove,” said Callaham, referring to one of the groves near the association’s office.
However, in recent years, the citrus greening disease killed orange trees in mass. Callaham says the growers in the cooperative have been fighting it tooth and nail. Still, Citrus Greening and Hurricane Irma hit the industry hard last year. It led to the lowest crop in 73 years.
According to Callaham, it weeded out a lot of the growers whose crop hadn’t been doing well for years, as those growers were often the ones who sold their land to housing developers. He said many of the other growers who’ve found ways to fight citrus greening have expanded their groves. The association has added more than a thousand acres of new trees over the last five years, according to Callaham.
Florida growers produced 44.9 million boxes of oranges last year, compared to the 77 million boxes projected for this year. “We’re optimistic. We’re pleased at this time,” Callaham said.
With the increase in citrus production, Callaham said the association has more than a 100 openings for seasonal workers. While 71 percent more boxes of oranges are expected this year, the forecast says the size of the orange will be the smallest on record since 1960.
Baynews9.com reports that the USDA is expected to release its next citrus forecast on Dec. 11.
