All citrus acreage down 17 percent
Results of the annual Commercial Citrus Inventory show total citrus acreage is 274,705 acres, down 17 percent from the last annual survey. The net loss of 57,551 acres is 14,505 acres more than what was lost the previous season. New plantings at 4,751 acres are down from the previous season.
All 23 published counties included in the table on page 3 showed decreases in acreage. Hendry County lost the most acreage, down 12,374 acres from the previous season. Polk County leads in citrus acreage with 58,516 acres, followed by Desoto County at 51,800 acres.
Orange acreage is now at 248,028 acres, down 18 percent from the previous season. Valencia acreage now accounts for 63 percent of the total orange acreage, non-Valencia acreage represents 35 percent, and the remaining orange acreage is unidentified. Grapefruit acreage is now at 14,316 acres, down 10 percent from the previous season.
Specialty fruit acreage, at 12,361 acres, is down 6 percent from the previous season. Tangerines and tangelos account for 58 percent of the specialty fruit, with 7,189 acres. The remaining acreage is other citrus acreage, with a total of 5,172 acres, or 42 percent.
For the full USDA report on citrus acreage, please click here.
All citrus value up six percent, production up 12 percent
The $221 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2023-2024 citrus crop is 6 percent more than the $208 million revised value for 2022-2023.
Florida's all citrus production in 2023-2024 is 20.2 million boxes, up 12 percent from the previous season's 18.1 million boxes. All orange production increased by 14 percent to 18.0 million boxes. Non-Valencia production at 6.76 million boxes is up 10 percent from the 2022-2023 season. Valencia orange production at 11.2 million boxes is up 16 percent. All grapefruit production decreased 1 percent to 1.79 million boxes. Tangerine and tangelo production in 2023-2024 is down 6 percent from the previous season.
For the full USDA report on citrus value and production, please click here.