In the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s initial citrus crop forecast for the 2024-25 harvest season, the federal agency forecasts production to be 15 million boxes of oranges this season, a news release from Bartow-based Florida Citrus Mutual said.
Additionally, the USDA estimated 1.4 million boxes of grapefruit and 200,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos.
The estimate does not reflect the damage inflicted by Hurricane Milton across central and south Florida earlier this week, the release said.
The USDA forecast of 15 million boxes is nearly three million boxes less than the total production of Florida citrus during the 2023-24 harvest season, which was 17.96 million boxes.
“The forecast for the season is extremely discouraging,” said Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual.
“Before Hurricane Milton swept through Florida’s citrus belt this week, citrus growers were optimistic about the health of their groves and were hopeful for the prospect of a fruitful season,” he said.
“After years of battling citrus greening and trying to recover from Hurricane Ian two years ago, we were beginning to see tree health and bloom improve with the treatments and therapies deployed in the groves,” Joyner said.
“Citrus growers are just beginning to assess the impacts and begin the recovery process from the Category 3 storm,” he said. “Our citrus growers are resilient, but after fighting citrus greening for nearly two decades and having three major hurricanes in the past seven years devastate the heart of our growing region, growers are weary and will require support from our state and federal partners to continue the industry’s comeback.
Milton will take time to determine, as fruit drop can occur in the weeks following impact. Future forecasts are expected to account for damages in the production outlook.
Florida’s citrus production is just a fraction of what it once was in the 1990s. At its peak during the 1997-98 season, the state’s citrus industry produced 244 million boxes of oranges. The USDA’s October forecast for the 2024-25 harvest season represents just 6.15% of the industry’s peak production.
Founded in 1948 and currently representing more than 1,500 grower members, Florida Citrus Mutual is the state’s largest citrus grower organization. The Florida citrus industry creates a $6.9 billion annual economic impact, employing more than 32,500 people and covering 274,705 acres.