The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on July 23 announced its intent to purchase $32.5 million of fresh citrus from American growers. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935, will make the purchases.
The fresh citrus will be distributed to food banks and nutrition assistance programs across the country.
The fresh citrus purchases will be for $12.5 million of grapefruit and $20 million of oranges. At the same time it announced the citrus purchases, USDA announced the purchase of $44 million of other American commodities, including Atlantic groundfish, canned peaches, farm-raised catfish, frozen blackberries and prunes.
California Citrus Mutual (CCM) supported efforts to ensure fresh citrus remained a priority under USDA’s Section 32 program. California is likely to receive the greatest benefit from the citrus purchases since it is the leading producer of fresh citrus in the United States.
Recent USDA citrus fruit and juice purchases in past years include the following:
- A $30 million fresh citrus purchase announced in 2025
- A $25 million fresh citrus purchase announced in 2024
- A $20 million fresh mandarin purchase announced in 2023
- An $18 million purchase of grapefruit juice announced in 2021
Sources: USDA and CCM
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