USDA Buying $20 Million of Fresh Mandarins

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Mandarins

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase up to $20 million of fresh mandarins and tangerines for distribution to food banks, schools and other non-conventional markets. According to California Citrus Mutual (CCM), this is the first time USDA has made such a purchase under authority of Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act Amendment of 1935. The purpose of …

Big Boost for Chilean Mandarin Production

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Mandarin production in Chile is projected to increase by 39.4% in 2022–23, to 237 million tons (MT) compared to the prior year’s 170 MT. Production was low the previous year due to frost in the growing area. The mandarin projection includes clementines and tangerines. The forecast was part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s (USDA FAS) annual …

Florida Citrus Forecast Falls Further

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

Florida citrus crops, already at historically low levels, were forecast Jan. 12 to fall even lower. The all-orange forecast fell 10% from the December projection. The grapefruit and tangerine/tangelo forecasts both tumbled 17%. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS). If realized, the orange, grapefruit and tangerine/tangelo crops will be 56%, …

South African Mandarin Industry Sees Growth

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

South African tangerine/mandarin (soft citrus) production is forecast to grow by 6% to 670,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23, up from 630,000 MT the prior year. The forecast is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  PLANTED AREAIn 2021–22, the area planted with tangerines/mandarins grew by an estimated 7% to 28,000 hectares from 26,151 hectares the …

Mandarin Production in Korea

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Reduced open-field Unshu mandarin harvest in the southern part of Jeju Island will drop total citrus production in Korea to 595,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23. This overall 2.9% reduction from last year is primarily due to a drier summer fruit-growing period and an alternating fruit-bearing cycle for Unshu production areas in the Seogwipo region. Those projections were made by …

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Egypt Orange Production on the Rise

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Orange production in Egypt is forecast at 3.6 million metric tons (MMT) in 2022–23, an increase of almost 20% compared to the prior season’s 3 MMT. The increase is attributed to optimal weather conditions and temperatures during flowering of the trees, which increased fruit set. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  …

Morocco Mandarin Production to Tumble

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Morocco’s tangerine and mandarin production for marketing year 2022–23 is expected to fall to 900,000 metric tons (MT), a 34% decline from the previous season’s 1.36 million metric tons. The forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) blames the decline on heat stress, water scarcity and increased input costs. Many orchards in the Berkane region …

HLB Resistance Is Citrus Breeding Program’s Primary Focus

Josh McGillBreeding

Citrus breeding is conducted at different research facilities across Florida. But the objective remains the same for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) breeders: Develop HLB-resistant citrus. That is the goal for Jose Chaparro, UF/IFAS associate professor in Gainesville. His research will impact citrus produced in the North Florida and South Georgia regions. “If you look …

Forecast for Florida Citrus Production Plummets

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The first federal citrus crop forecast to take into account damage from September’s Hurricane Ian dropped Florida’s projected orange crop for 2022–23 to 20 million boxes. That’s 29% below the initial forecast of 28 million boxes in October, 51% less than last season’s final production of 41.05 million boxes and the lowest orange forecast in many decades. Florida’s non-Valencia and …

Fundecitrus Researchers Attend Citrus Congress

Josh McGillEvents, International

Researchers from Brazil’s Fundecitrus participated in the 14th International Citrus Congress held in Mersin, Turkey, Nov. 6–11. The event brought together participants from public and private research institutions, as well as the production and commercial sectors of citrus. Representatives from 28 countries participated in the congress, including the United States, South Africa, Australia, Israel and several countries in Europe. Fundecitrus …

Morocco Mandarin and Orange Update

Josh McGillInternational, Mandarins

Morocco’s production and export of mandarins and oranges are detailed in a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) report on Morocco fruit exports. MANDARINSMandarin production in Morocco doubled during the last 10 years, to 1.4 million tons in 2021–22. Production is concentrated in the Souss-Massa, Gharb and Oriental regions. Area harvested expanded nearly 50% but has been …

Florida’s Natural Announces Grower Returns and Officers

Josh McGillIndustry News Release, Orange Juice

Florida’s Natural Growers’ round orange pool for last season paid an average of $3.50 per pound solid, Chief Financial Officer Matthew Woodall announced at the cooperative’s recent annual stockholders’ meeting. Early and midseason oranges paid a combined $3.42 per pound solid, and Valencia oranges paid a combined $3.55 per pound solid. Tangerines paid an average of $2.60 per pound solid, …

Cold-Hardy Growers Learn About Fruit Sales

Josh McGillFresh, Marketing, sales

Growers in Florida’s central and southern citrus belts have long been familiar with ways to market and get paid for their fruit. But those elements of the citrus business are not so familiar in North Florida and South Georgia, where citrus is a relatively new enterprise for many. Some groves in that area are just being harvested for the first …

Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed in California

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture officials removed the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in the North Hills area of Los Angeles County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). On July 1, APHIS and CDFA established an OFF quarantine in …

Quality Aspects of Citrus Juices

Josh McGillOrange Juice

By Renée Goodrich and Charles Sims In this era of huanglongbing (HLB), almost every scientific and popular press article alludes to HLB’s impact on fruit and juice quality. The citrus industry uses the term “high-quality” to denote a fruit, product or byproduct that has an array of positive, expected and measurable attributes. Consumers also use terms referring to quality, but …

Industry Leaders React to Low Forecast

Josh McGillCrop Forecast

Immediately following the lowest federal crop forecast for Florida citrus in many decades, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Florida Department of Citrus Executive Director Shannon Shepp expressed optimism that the industry will strive to recover. Their statements referred to Hurricane Ian, which destroyed much fruit and damaged trees in major portions of the state’s citrus belt. The U.S. Department …

Low Citrus Crop Forecast for Florida Will Get Lower

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The numbers are expected to further decline, as the season’s initial forecast does not reflect Hurricane Ian damage. The annual gathering of Florida citrus industry members to hear the first crop forecast of the season looked a little different this year. While growers once again came together at Putnam Ranch in Zolfo Springs to listen to the U.S. Department of …

fruit fly

Oriental Fruit Fly Eradicated in Florida County

Josh McGillFlorida, Pests, Regulation

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced on Sept. 23 that the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) has been eradicated from Pinellas County. In June, FDACS Division of Plant Industry positively identified oriental fruit flies detected during routine trapping. Additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. A quarantine was established in the St. Petersburg area that …

New Insurance Option for Florida Citrus Growers

Josh McGillFlorida, Insurance

By Ariel Singerman During the 2021–22 citrus season, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) started offering a new option to Florida citrus growers for insuring their crop. The policy is called Actual Production History (APH) and provides coverage for yield losses based on a farm’s historical records. While the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policy also uses farm records as a …

Extension Agents Assess Hurricane Damage

Josh McGillFruit Drop, hurricane

“Hurricane Ian has devastated much of Florida’s citrus industry,” said Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. “The harsh reality is that the 2022–2023 season will be one of the most challenging that any of us has faced.” Several UF/IFAS Extension agents made early assessments of the …