Even with the season preparing to wind down, there’s an abundance of Florida grapefruit available.
“The supply of Florida grapefruit is very good at this time of the season,” says David Haller of Premier Citrus in Vero Beach, Fl. “Compared to last season, we’re trending fairly parallel. However we will pack a few weeks later than last year. Overall I expect the crop to be up some, but I don’t see it reaching the estimate. We just didn’t have the size this year.”
Currently grapefruit is in production from all of the Florida growing regions including the Indian River, Gulf and Ridge regions. “Domestically the main competition would be Texas and in the export market, Israel and Turkey,” says Haller. “Florida will be through for the season before California gets ramped up as well as the other imports seen in the summer months within the marketplace.”
Healthy domestic and export demand
However matching that strong supply is a strong demand for grapefruit both domestically and abroad. “We have had a very good crop in terms of internal and external quality with higher brix and fewer imperfections. The export market is just about finished so there is more grapefruit being steered toward the domestic market. There is good volume domestically because the export market has slowed down,” says Haller. “So far the industry has done a great job of balancing the crop volume with the appropriate markets.” He adds that pricing will be pressured in the next few weeks as volume increases due to the global market winding down.
That’s welcome news given that grapefruit consumption continues to decline overall. “However there is still a strong desire to have it available. It’s considered a super food and has many health benefits,” he says. “In today’s world of convenience with grab and go’s, the growing popularity of meal kits and people eating out more due to a stronger economy, it’s a different playing field than 10 or 15 years ago.” Shelf space being at a premium is also adding into the equation.
Continuing HLB concerns
Adding to the challenge is the industry’s own struggle with huanglongbing (HLB) or the “citrus greening disease.” “It’s becoming very difficult to grow a grapefruit crop that can be profitable. We’re spending twice as much on grove care and getting half the production,” says Haller. “There is some new technology being developed that may help, but unfortunately there is still no cure. There are other varieties of citrus that don’t seem to be affected. However it is devastating to grapefruit.”
There are new grapefruit varieties on the horizon though that are said to be more HLB tolerant. However most growers are reluctant to plant them until there is strong confidence in the outcome, says Haller, noting these varieties include Summer Golds, Foster Pinks and Pummelettes.
Looking ahead more immediately, Haller notes in the coming weeks Premier is working to closely manage the balance of its crop. “We’ll harvest and pack enough that we can stabilize pricing and continue to provide our customers with the freshest, highest quality grapefruit in the marketplace,” he says. “We plan to adjust harvesting with demand, stretching the season as long as possible and continuing to increase our orange volume as we gear up for the strong Valencia demand.”
For more information:
David Haller
Premier Citrus
Tel: +1-772-562-5030
daveh@premiercitrus.com
www.premiercitruspackers.com