production and exports

Florida Citrus Production and Exports in 2023–24

Daniel CooperExport, Florida, Production

A recent report recapped Florida citrus production and exports in the 2023–24 season. The summary, Florida Citrus Statistics 2023–2024, was published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Fruits and Vegetables. The production statistics for Florida are official estimates of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. THE BREAKDOWN Oranges constituted 89% of the …

global

Global Orange and OJ Production Forecast

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Global orange production is forecast to decline in 2024–25 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS), but orange juice (OJ) production is expected to increase. ORANGES Production of global oranges is forecast down 662,000 tons to 45.2 million tons. Higher production in Brazil is expected to be more than offset by lower crops in Egypt, Türkiye and …

HLB-tolerant varieties

Options for Planting Profitable Citrus Varieties

Daniel CooperBreeding, Rootstocks, Varieties

By Maegan Beatty On Feb. 18, Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter hosted an online informational session on new citrus varieties and how to plant a profitable crop in the future. Both Grosser and Gmitter are part of the citrus improvement team at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. Their main …

Secretary of Agriculture

Florida Citrus Mutual Statement on New Secretary of Agriculture

Daniel CooperUSDA

Last week, Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States Clarence Thomas. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rollins’ appointment by a vote of 72 to 28. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the nation’s 33rd Secretary of Agriculture — and a …

new varieties

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: New Varieties Released

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Varieties

By Peter Chaires On October 24, 2024, the University of Florida’s (UF) Cultivar Release Committee unanimously approved the release of seven citrus varieties to Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. Florida Statutes now require that, before being released to the general public, any new variety of citrus developed as a result of any research or study accomplished using any percentage of …

South Africa

Lemon Production in South Africa

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, lemons

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) expects lemon production in South Africa in 2024–25 to grow by 7% from the prior year to 780,000 metric tons (MT). PLANTED AREA USDA/FAS forecasts that the country’s land planted in lemons will remain unchanged at 18,000 hectares. Producers are holding back from planting any more lemons due to an oversupply …

Moroccan

Moroccan Tangerine/Mandarin Crop to Climb

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast Morocco’s tangerine/mandarin production for 2024–25 at 1.1 million metric tons (MMT). That’s an increase of 16% from the prior season due to increased irrigation practices and a high level of new plantings coming into full production for the Nadorcott and Afourer varieties. The Moroccan area planted with tangerines/mandarins is …

Brix

Brix Bill Reintroduced

Daniel CooperLegislative

U.S. representatives from Florida have reintroduced legislation to have the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alter the Brix standard in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5% to 10%. The Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act was reintroduced by Reps. Scott Franklin and Debbie Wasserman Schultz and is cosponsored by the entire Florida congressional delegation.  Currently, oranges below the 10.5% …

brassinosteroids

When to Apply Brassinosteroids to Improve Valencia Fruit Quality

Daniel CooperPGRs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal Like the work being done with Hamlin sweet orange, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are studying the effect of brassinosteroids (BRs) on the internal maturation of Valencia sweet orange fruits. The conditions of the treatments are the same as in Hamlin: A treatment of 186 milliliters of BR …

survey

Survey Shows Popular Scions and Rootstocks

Daniel CooperRootstocks, Survey, Varieties

The Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey seeks input from growers on key issues affecting their groves. The survey has been conducted for many years, has tracked the trajectory of HLB and reported on production practices. While not a scientific survey, it has reflected general trends over the years. Last month, we published results on trunk-injection therapy and the …

Mexican

Positive Gains for Mexican Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast that Mexican orange and orange juice (OJ) production will both increase slightly in 2024–25. ORANGES Orange production is forecast at 5.05 million metric tons (MMT), 2% more than the previous season. Mexico ranks fourth worldwide in the production of oranges with 10% of total production. It trails only Brazil, …

oxytetracycline

Lessons From Oxytetracycline Injection Trials

Daniel CooperHLB Management

By Ute Albrecht, Carol Tardivo, Gabriel Pugina, Larissa Nunes, Jasmine de Freitas and Gerardo Moreno Since the approval of oxytetracycline (OTC) injection to manage citrus greening (huanglongbing, HLB) in Florida, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant physiology team at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) has completed various research trials with multiple …

grapefruit production

Grapefruit Production in South Africa

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, Grapefruit, International

South African grapefruit production is expected to rise slightly in 2024–25. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) is forecasting a 1% increase from the prior year to 425,000 metric tons (MT). PLANTINGS Grapefruit acreage in South Africa has been shrinking since 2020–21, reflecting a downward trend in global consumption. The area planted in 2024–25 will likely …

Turkish

Turkish Citrus Production to Plummet

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Production of all citrus varieties in Türkiye in 2024–25 is forecast to decline, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. ORANGES Orange production is projected to decline 30% from the prior year to 1.6 million metric tons (MMT). The decline is due to excessive hot weather conditions during the blooming period in spring 2024. Yield per …

Korea’s

Update on Korea’s Citrus Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast that Korea’s tangerine/mandarin production will decline 2.6% in marketing year 2024–25, to 565,000 metric tons (MT). Korea doesn’t produce oranges or grapefruit and only a small crop of lemons — an estimated 550 MT on 35 hectares in 2023. LOW FORECAST The tangerine/mandarin forecast, if realized, would be the …

Australian

Australian Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The 2024–25 Australian orange crop will increase from the prior year while orange juice (OJ) production will dip, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) forecast recently. ORANGES UP USDA FAS projects fresh Australian orange production at 545,000 metric tons (MT) in marketing year 2024–25 (April 2025 to March 2026). That would be the highest production level …

commission

Florida Citrus Commission Actions and HLB

Daniel CooperFlorida Citrus Commission, Florida Department of Citrus

Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) Chairman Steve Johnson recently discussed HLB and several actions and reports from the commission’s December 2024 meeting. The FCC is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus.    “For almost two decades, we’ve been in a season of fighting HLB, and that fight (while the war is far from over) is changing,” Johnson said. “The tools …

European Union

European Union Orange Crop and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

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 …

record

Brazilian Orange Prices Set Record Highs

Daniel CooperBrazil, Economics

Orange prices in Brazil set record highs in 2024, the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (CEPEA) in Brazil reported. According to CEPEA, the value of a 90-pound box was above BRL 100 ($16.63 U.S.) in the fresh market. The record price is explained by firm demand from the industry, which faced low orange juice (OJ) stocks and limited …

China

China Has Changes in Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

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 …