USDA Keeps Shrinking Citrus Crop Estimate

    Florida’s Citrus crop continues to sink to ever-smaller outputs. The United States Department of Agriculture’s February forecast for Florida citrus showed a continued decline through this seasons, with the latest estimates showing the crop to produce just 16 million boxes.
   That estimate is down $2 million boxes from just a month earlier, and if proven correct by the end of the season will represent a 61% decrease since last season.
   The industry continues to grasp with a variety of challenges, including the devastating effects of citrus greening, a bacteria that slowly kills trees and which is spread among trees by a small psyllid. Greening has devastated trees across the state during the past decade, slowly killing trees while also impacting their ability to generate fruit.
   Additionally, costs to produce citrus has risen, and market pressures have at times shown limited potential to profitably produce fruit.
   However, some prices for fruit have been at historic highs, with Valencia varieties, in particular, posting strong numbers for growers. The USDA's February estimate shows the Valencia crop declining by $1 million boxes from January's forecast, at $10 million boxes. Valencia oranges remain on the trees and will be harvested in the coming months.
   To make matters worse, the Valencia crop is presenting with smaller fruit than historically is seen, and drop - where fruit drops off the trees before it is ripe - is also higher than historic levels.
   "Current fruit size is below the minimum and is projected to be below the minimum at harvest. Current drop page is above the maximum and projected to be above maximum at harvest," stated the report.