The 2024–25 citrus forecast released on May 12 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows little change from the April forecast.
ORANGES
The Florida all-orange forecast, at 11.63 million boxes, is up less than 1% from last month. If realized, this will be 36% less than last season’s final production.
The forecast consists of 4.58 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and navel varieties), down from 4.6 million boxes in April. The navel forecast, included in the non-Valencia portion of the forecast, is 100,000 boxes and represents 2% of the non-Valencia total.
The Valencia orange production forecast is up slightly from 7.0 million boxes in April to 7.05 million boxes in May. The row count survey conducted April 28–29 indicated 99% of the Valencia rows are harvested. Processors were surveyed regarding fruit processed through April 30 and the estimated quantity remaining to be processed to the end of the season. Analysis of the results of the processors survey support the small increase in the Valencia orange forecast.
“Every day, I hear from Florida citrus growers who are seeing healthier trees thanks to the tools they’re using to fight citrus greening and recover from hurricanes. This month’s upward momentum reflects growers’ relentless efforts to bring a crop to market and preserve family-run operations that have sustained the industry for generations,” said Matt Joyner, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Mutual.
OTHER CROPS
Florida grapefruit production is forecast at 1.3 million boxes. The white grapefruit forecast is 140,000 boxes. The red grapefruitforecast is 1.16 million boxes. The row count survey, conducted April 28-29, indicated that the grapefruit harvest is complete. These figures are unchanged from April.
The Florida lemon forecast is 600,000 boxes, unchanged from the previous forecast.
The production estimate for tangerines and mandarins, at 400,000 boxes, is also unchanged.
There were no changes to the April forecast numbers for citrus production in California, Texas and Arizona.
The next USDA citrus forecast for the 2024–25 season will be released on June 12.
See the full May forecast report from USDA here.