With a relatively optimistic forecast for the growing season, the Florida Citrus Commission approved an increase of the department’s budget for the recently started fiscal year by nearly 4 percent.
The change came after the US Department of Agriculture projected this month that citrus growers in Florida will produce 75 percent more oranges, grapefruit and other specialty crops in the current 2018-2019 season compared to the 2017-2018 season that suffered so much from Hurricane Irma.
The increase of $1.23 million from 2017-2018 came without altering the 7-cent/box tax that growers pay on juice oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and tangelos. Cbs12.com reported that the rate for fresh oranges also stayed at 5 cents/box.
