Unexpected Bump Tops Off Difficult Florida Citrus Season
July 10, 2015 Last month, following the announcement of USDA’s updated Florida citrus forecast, we asked readers if they thought the 2014-2015 orange crop estimate had hit bottom yet. An overwhelming majority (86%) said no. According to the newly released numbers, they were wrong.
The final projection of the 2014-2015 Florida all orange season comes in at 96.7, up from 96.4.
The July orange estimate comprises 47.4 million boxes of early, midseason, Navel, and Temple varieties plus 49.3 million boxes of Valencias. The Valencia tally is 300,000 boxes higher than last month’s projection.
The 96.7 million box count still represents what will be the lowest harvest total since the 1965-1966 season.
“It’s nice to have a bit of stability on this final number from the USDA,” said Mike Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “Because we all know what an up and down year it’s been fighting HLB and all of the market issues. Next year’s crop is already on the tree and although I expect a season again filled with challenges, we have a lot to be optimistic about. The Florida citrus grower and all of the tremendous products we produce are here to stay.”
The overall grapefruit estimate remained at 12.95 million boxes.
The initial 2015-2016 report from USDA is slated to be released October 9.
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