The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its second citrus crop forecast for the 2018–19 season, projecting 77 million boxes of oranges and 84.6 million boxes of citrus in total.
Compared to the October 2018 USDA forecast, this estimate represents a 3 percent decrease in orange production and a 4 percent decrease in grapefruit production. However, the overall production remains well above the 49.58 million boxes of citrus harvested last season.
“Florida’s iconic citrus industry continues to recover, and our growers are resilient. We’ll continue to support the industry, as it rebuilds after Hurricane Irma and continues to battle citrus greening,” stated Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
The peak of citrus production was 244 million boxes during the 1997–98 season.
Read more and listen to the crop forecast.
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
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