Florida orange crop estimate lowered by 3m boxes due to citrus greening
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that Florida growers will produce 67 million 90-pound boxes of oranges, down 17 percent from the 81.5 million boxes harvested last season. In the 2014-15 season, Florida’s commercial growers produced 96.9 million boxes of oranges.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said in a statement, “Although not unexpected, today’s historically low forecast is the latest example of citrus greening’s continued devastation of Florida’s citrus industry. Until a long-term solution is discovered, which some of our state’s brightest minds are working on, we must support Florida’s multi-billion dollar citrus industry and the more than 60,000 jobs it supports.”
Thursday’s forecast represents a decline of more than 70 percent since the peak of citrus production at 244 million boxes during the 1997-98 season.
source: protectingyourpocket.blog.mypalmbeachpost.com