United States citrus utilized production for the 2023-2024 season totaled 5.24 million tons, up 6 percent from the 2022-2023 season. California accounted for 79 percent of total United States citrus production, Florida totaled 17 percent, and Texas and Arizona produced the remaining 4 percent. Florida's share of U.S. citrus production in 2023-2024 is 20.2 million boxes, up 12 percent from the previous season's 18.1 million boxes.
Florida's orange production, at 18.0 million boxes, is up 14 percent from the previous season. Grapefruit utilization in Florida, at 1.79 million boxes, is down 1 percent from last season's utilization. Tangerine and tangelo production in 2023-2024 is down 6 percent from the previous season.
County production
The top 5 citrus producing counties were Polk (3.86 million boxes), DeSoto (3.14 million boxes), Highlands (2.79 million boxes), Hendry (2.37 million boxes), and Hardee (2.27 million boxes). Together they account for 71 percent of the state's total citrus production. Oranges constituted 89 percent of the citrus production, grapefruit accounted for 9 percent, and tangerines and tangelos represented 2 percent.
Estimates of county production are prepared from objective survey data used in forecasting citrus crop production. The apportionment of the final harvest to the counties is based on bearing trees, an estimate of the average fruit per tree, and the drop and size surveys. The sample size used in these surveys and the distribution of the sample groves around the state are chosen to minimize error in the estimates of production and are not to be considered as precise for the counties as at the state level.
The value of the 2023-24 United States citrus crop increased 16 percent from last season to $2.98 billion (packinghouse-door equivalent). Orange value of production increased 2 percent from last season and grapefruit value is up 4 percent. Tangerine and mandarin value of production is 34 percent higher than last season and lemon value of production is up 22 percent.
Foreign exports
Fresh fruit exports totaled 395 thousand 4/5-bushel cartons. Belgium received most of Florida's grapefruit exports. Canada accounted for most of Florida's orange and tangerine exports. More details are listed on pages 26 & 27. A total of 1.75 million gallons of Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice (FCOJ), were exported in the 2023-2024 season.
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