The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released a final report on Florida orange production for the 2014-15 season and found it below last year’s numbers.
At 96.7 million boxes -- up 0.3 million from what the USDA thought it would be in June -- Florida’s orange numbers are down from last season when 104 million boxes were produced. The height of production came in 1997-98 when 244 million boxes were produced.
The decline in Florida citrus from last season is mostly the result of Huanglongbing (HLB), better known as citrus greening.
Spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a tiny insect, citrus greening infects trees, leading to deformed and bitter fruit. Eventually, citrus greening kills the tree. One of the few ways to fight the disease is by removing the tree.
In 2013, the Florida citrus industry saw its worst year in almost a quarter century. Earlier in the year, the USDA awarded $30 million to fight citrus greening and, back in April, launched a project with an additional $23 million in grants to fight the disease. U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., announced earlier this week that an additional $2 million was included in the House Agricultural Appropriations bill to fight citrus greening.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam weighed in on Friday.
“The 2014-2015 citrus season represents a new low for Florida’s citrus industry and our state’s signature crop,” Putnam said. “We cannot overstate the challenges facing Florida citrus, but we will continue to fight to save the industry, its more than $10.7 billion economic impact and the more than 64,000 jobs it supports.”
Florida Department of Citrus Executive Director Doug Ackerman sounded a bit more upbeat than Putnam on Friday.
“This report provides us with some closure on a difficult year for the industry,” Ackerman said. “While we certainly expect continued challenges ahead, we look forward to the opportunities a new season brings and are fully focused on delivering programs that will protect and promote the interests of Florida citrus."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
