Hurricanes hitting different parts of Mexico's citrus-producing regions could lead to lighter crops for the 2014-2015 season.Orange production in Mexico, most of which is centred in the state of Veracruz, is forecast at 4.3 million metric tons, according to a report from the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. Production for the previous season is estimated at 4.3 MMT, and the report points to cold weather and drought conditions as factors in the slight decline. In fact, dry conditions, as well as rising production costs and volatile returns, have caused many growers to abandon their orange groves this year. Yields are expected to reach 13.3 metric tons per hectare for the 2014-2015 season, while the previous season's yields reached 13.6 metric tons per hectare.
The lime crop for 2014-2015 is expected to be about the same as the one from the previous season. Both crops are estimated at 2.2 MMT. Grapefruit production is expected to reach 420,000 MT for the 2014-2015 season, a slight drop from the previous season's production. Yields are also expected to take a dip, with 2014-2015 grapefruit yields forecast at 24.2 metric tons per hectare, while the previous season's yields are estimated at 24.7 metric tons per hectare.