Florida citrus growers bemoan 'extremely discouraging' first forecast for 2024-25 harvest season
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) released its inaugural forecast for the 2024-25 citrus season. And without even fully factoring in the effect of back-to-back storm strikes, the numbers are not looking good for Florida’s farmers.
The USDA forecast projects just 15 million boxes of oranges will be produced this season, along with 1.4 million boxes of grapefruit and 200,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos.
That would put Florida’s orange production almost 3 million boxes short of last season — when farmers produced just under 18 million boxes — a drop-off from a year which already saw near historic production lows.
Florida Citrus Mutual, the state’s largest citrus grower organization...
