Florida citrus growers have articulated the necessity for research and advertising to sustain the citrus sector, which has seen a production decline exceeding 90% over two decades. "We are admittedly an industry in need of your help on many levels," stated Shannon Shepp, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Citrus, during a Senate Agriculture meeting.
Shepp cautioned that without a sustained market, the citrus industry may experience a "renaissance." Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, highlighted the need for continued research funding to combat citrus greening disease, which he described as the "most challenging" issue in the past 20 years. "We have seen citrus greening, the most devastating disease known to citrus worldwide, take hold in Florida," Joyner remarked.
Joyner noted the past seven years have been particularly arduous due to citrus greening and hurricanes, causing production to drop by nearly 90%. "We've got greening that's already weakening our trees, and then we've got disasters on top of that," he added. The industry aims to stabilize and enhance production to sustain its infrastructure, with research on HLB, or citrus greening, being "critically important."
Research efforts have seen Florida growers self-assess up to $100 million for citrus greening studies. The USDA's citrus crop forecast for January 2025 predicts 12 million boxes of oranges for the 2024-2025 season, consistent with December 2024 estimates, amid recovery from Hurricane Milton.
Congress's recent funding bill includes $31 billion for agricultural producers, extending the farm bill and introducing the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program. This initiative provides $2.65 billion to help citrus producers manage marketing costs, with a payment limit raised to $900,000 per entity.
Florida leaders, including Senate President Ben Albritton and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, have pledged support for the citrus industry in the upcoming legislative session.
Source: Florida's Voice