The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Oct. 25 set the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) budget and grower assessment rates for the 2023–24 season.
The FDOC budget will be $23.239 million, about $6.5 million less than the 2022–23 budget of $29.795 million. It includes administrative and support services of $2.153 million, a general revenue service charge of $222,000, a research budget of $5.643 million and a marketing budget of $14.677 million. Reserves will be $544,000.
The grower assessment rates per box of fruit are unchanged from last year at:
- Fresh orange: 5 cents
- Processed and fresh grapefruit: 7 cents
- Processed and fresh specialty fruit: 7 cents
- Processed orange juice: 12 cents
Marketing plans for the 2023–24 season were also outlined at the Oct. 25 FCC meeting. Karmen Johnson of marketing firm Edible said the plans are aimed at increasing consumer awareness of Florida orange juice and driving sales. This will be done through an integrated marketing and public relations program. The messaging pillars remain the nutritional benefits of Florida orange juice and the Florida difference.
In recent years, the FDOC has used primarily social media to reach its target audience. Television was the agency’s primary marketing medium for many decades, but reduced crops and budgets no longer provide enough funding for effective television campaigns.
Meredith Nelson of Edible said artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way consumers search for content and will change the way consumers shop in the near future. Being able to integrate AI into the FDOC marketing campaign will help in remaining relevant with its audience, she said.
The FDOC is an executive agency of the state of Florida tasked with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Members of the FCC, appointed by the governor, serve as the FDOC’s governing board.
Source: FDOC
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