European Union (EU) orange and orange juice (OJ) production in 2024–25 is both projected to decline from the prior season. The forecast was issued by the U.S Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). ORANGES The orange crop is projected at just above 5.6 million metric tons (MMT), down from the 5.7 million MMT orange crop in 2023–24. Orange …
Citrus Greening, Production and Plantings in Brazil
The recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) annual report on Brazilian citrus included updates on citrus greening disease, production and planted area. CITRUS GREENING The report noted that new chemicals and practices have been developed to fight citrus greening, a major cause of recent production declines. Those chemicals and practices include a natural repellent called caryophyllene, …
Sugar Belles Show Good Production in Georgia Trial
University of Georgia (UGA) County Extension Coordinator Jake Price recently provided an update on a row of Sugar Belles planted at a Georgia research plot in 2018. The Sugar Belle planting originally had 20 trees on four different rootstocks. Each rootstock was replicated five times. The rootstocks used were US-852, US-942, US-897 and Rubidoux. “After the December 2022 freeze, the …
China Has Changes in Orange and OJ Production
China, the world’s largest citrus producer, is forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) to produce 7.62 million metric tons (MMT) of oranges in marketing year 2024–25. That’s a slight reduction from prior year production of 7.63 MMT. A range of weather-related issues is threatening orange production, including persistent rain in April and May that …
Orange and Tangerine Production in Argentina
Argentine orange and tangerine production are both forecast to decline in 2024–25 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS). Orange production is projected at 620,000 metric tons (MT), down from 760,000 MT the prior year. Tangerine production is projected at 200,000 MT, down from 280,000 MT. REGIONS AND VARIETIES Sweet citrus is grown in both the …
A Look at Chilean Lemon Production
Chilean lemon production is projected to grow by 2.6% in 2024–25, reaching 197,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. Chile’s lemon acreage is expected to reach 10,400 hectares, a 4.8% increase from 2023–24. The increase in area planted is a major reason for the expected production increase. The area planted with lemons …
Tangerine/Mandarin Production to Increase in Chile
Production of tangerines/mandarins in Chile will increase by 13.1% in 2024–25 and total 250,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected. PLANTED AREA The area planted with mandarins is projected at 12,700 hectares, a 4.8% increase from 2023–24. Due to high profits, the area planted in the Metropolitana, O’Higgins and Valparaíso regions …
Root Recovery Precedes Production Gains
Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: There have been some mixed results from OTC injections depending on geography within Florida. Is the citrus industry in Florida experiencing a recovery from the effects of HLB or not? Tom Johnson: Since the release of ReMedium TI® …
Costa Rican Orange Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) expects Costa Rican orange production to increase approximately 11% in 2024–25, to 250,000 metric tons. Production in 2023–24 was lower than expected at 225,000 metric tons as a result of erratic rainfall patterns associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon. The area planted in oranges is expected to remain unchanged …
Northern Hemisphere Citrus Production Projection
The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) has projected Northern Hemisphere citrus production of 27.297 million tons (MT) in the 2024–25 season. That’s an 8.73% decrease from the previous season. The forecast is 5.88% lower than the average for the last four seasons. The forecast is based on data from Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, Türkiye the United States, and, …
U.S. Citrus Production and Value by State
Citrus utilized production for the 2023–24 season in the United States (U. S.) totaled 5.24 million tons, up 6% from the previous season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) reported. California accounted for 79% of total U.S. citrus production, Florida totaled 17%, while Texas and Arizona produced the remaining 4%. The value of the 2023–24 U.S. …
Bleak Outlook for Florida Citrus Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Statistics Board released its first forecast of the 2024–25 citrus season on Oct. 11. The report does not reflect the damage to the Florida citrus industry inflicted by Hurricane Milton. The Dec. 10 forecast update is expected to take that damage into account. “The forecast for the season is extremely discouraging,” said Matt Joyner, …
Spanish Citrus Production to See Ups and Downs This Season
Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food projected total Spanish citrus production of 5,842 million tons for the 2024–25 season that began Sept. 1. That’s 60,500 tons, or 1%, less than preliminary figures for the previous season and 8.6% less than the average of the last five seasons. A continued drought and excessive heat in key periods of citrus development …
Transforming Organic Citrus Production
Organic citrus growing presents unique hurdles in Florida, Texas and other southern states. Poor soil quality, nutrient deficiencies and a limited range of pest control options plague organic production. But the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) Davie Kadyampakeni is poised to transform the future of organic citrus growing. He aims to do that with a …
Hurricane Debby Citrus Production Losses Could Reach $13 Million
There were no reports of significant or widespread losses for citrus crops due to August’s Hurricane Debby, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reported recently. But the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program stated in a preliminary assessment of agricultural damages that low-level production losses across a wide swath of citrus acreage could reach $13 million. …
Seeking Centennial Growers and Production Costs
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is seeking information about centennial growers — families that have been in the citrus business 100 years or more — so it can honor them. The statewide grower organization is also asking growers to participate in surveys that will determine the cost of production of Florida fresh grapefruit and processed oranges. CENTENNIAL GROWERS FCM wants to …
Heat and HLB Hurting Brazil’s Production
Brazil’s citrus crop is suffering this season, according to Franklin Behlau, a senior researcher for Fundecitrus. That was the focus of a recent presentation he provided at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. “Things have changed in Brazil this season,” Behlau said. “We are a little behind …
Sustaining Citrus Production in the HLB Era
The virtues of daily irrigation and increased micronutrient applications were among key points researcher Davie Kadyampakeni made in an Aug. 13 discussion of citrus production in the HLB era. Kadyampakeni is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of soil, water and ecosystem sciences at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. …
Alico Increases Production and Names New Chairman
Alico, Inc.’s Citrus Division harvested more fruit in the three months and nine months ended June 30 than during the same periods in the prior fiscal year. Harvests for the three-month and nine-month periods were approximately 0.8 million and 3.1 million boxes, respectively, compared to 0.4 million boxes and 2.7 million boxes, respectively, in the prior fiscal year. POUND SOLIDS AND …
Update on Global Orange and OJ Production
Global orange production for 2023–24 is expected to rise slightly while orange juice (OJ) production dips. This forecast is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) Citrus: World Markets and Trade July report. ORANGES Global orange production for 2023–24 is estimated to rise 1% to 47.4 million tons. Lower production in Brazil and the European Union …