Orange supplies out of Florida continue to be steady. "We're finishing grapefruit in a couple of weeks and tangerines as well this week, but we'll continue with oranges through July," says Doug Feek of Feek Family Citrus, who notes there's enough fruit available for demand. "I wouldn't say there's an abundance but it's also not scarce."
Of course, compared to last year's supply, which was impacted by Hurricane Ian in the fall of 2022, this year's supply is greater. The projected July end of the season is the typical end for Feek Family Citrus--it packs fresh fruit through mid-May while putting fruit into cold storage starting at the end of March into early May. This way, says Feek, it has the best Brix, ratio, juice content and aroma. "We had a normal start to our season--we traditionally start in the last week of September or the first week of October," says Feek.
Other shipping regions
Also in production with oranges domestically is California, a region that will have supply throughout the summer. "I believe Mexico is shipping oranges into the U.S. and Texas is shipping oranges though I understand they should wind down by the end of March," says Feek.
As for orange demand, it's okay. "It's pretty normal for this time of year. The market is steady with steady demand," Feek says. "I think demand will probably increase when Texas finishes. California is dealing with large-sized fruit so I see demand picking up in April."
All of this is leaving pricing steady and it will likely stay that way until the first or second week of April. "Then we'll start seeing increases," says Feek.
For more information:
Doug Feek
Feek Family Citrus
Tel:1 (772) 473-3885
dfeek@feekfamilycitrus.com
https://feekfamilycitrus.com/