The September issue of Citrus Industry magazine largely focuses on two topics: nutrient management research and highlights from the return of the in-person Citrus Expo. NUTRITION RESEARCHSeveral features authored by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences authors share the latest strategies for improving nutrition of citrus trees. Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht discuss the newest technologies that …
E-commerce and Social Media Lead Citrus Marketing
Two reports that a Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) marketing executive presented recently show that social media and e-commerce have become major, effective tools for marketing citrus and other products. FDOC Director of Global Marketing Samantha Lane told the Florida Citrus Commission on Aug. 25 that the FDOC’s 2021-22 e-commerce campaign has so far driven more than $2.3 million in …
All In For Citrus Podcast, August 2021
This month’s All In For Citrus Podcast gives growers valuable advice for dealing with hurricanes and tropical storms. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) team describes how to prepare for and recover from these weather events, as well as the impacts they can have on Florida’s economy. Before getting to the information about storms, the …
Citrus Canopy Health Is Highly Important for HLB Tolerance
By Amit Levy and Tripti Vashisth In Florida, where almost all citrus trees are infected with huanglongbing (HLB), it is important to have an easy and reliable method to check the severity of the disease. Each tree responds differently to Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacterial pathogen that causes HLB. Compare it to COVID-19, where some people had the virus …
Citrus Fiber Market to Expand
The global citrus fiber market is expected to surpass $500 million by 2031, growing at a 6% annual rate, according to a recent report by market research firm Fact.MR. The firm reported that the citrus fiber market was about $300 million in 2020. It stated that as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, consumer eating habits switched to natural alternatives; that significantly …
Grower: Last Season Had Ups, Downs
Vero Beach grower George Hamner reported having better production and size on his fresh market grapefruit and lemon crops in the 2020-21 season than in the prior year. He said grapefruit prices remained steady, similar to the prior year. “Lemons, however, were not as good as previous years because of the loss of food-service business … due to COVID-19,” he …
Mexican Lemon Sector Seeks Russian Market
By Francisco Seva Rivadulla The Mexican lemon sector has set its sights on an interesting commercial market — Russia. Despite COVID-19, Russia continues to offer very good commercial options for this citrus fruit from the Aztec country. “The Russian market is very important for the Mexican citrus sector, which currently has a business strategy to diversify its export markets, and …
Turkey: Lemons Up, Grapefruit Down
Lemon production in Turkey climbed in 2020-2021, but grapefruit production is expected to decline, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. LEMONSLemon production reached 1.1 million metric tons, which is 13% more than in the 2019-20 season. Lemons have a longer season compared to oranges and tangerines in Turkey because different lemon varieties ripen at different times …
South Africa Shipping More Citrus
Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) recently reported a 7% increase in shipment volume compared to the 2020 season. “Easy peelers are on-par with year-to-date estimates while navel oranges are slightly ahead,” SCSA stated in a media release. “Overall, quality and sizing are aligning well with the expectations of the U.S. market.” Boats from South Africa are scheduled to arrive …
Mandarin Production Rises Sharply in EU
Mandarin production in the European Union (EU) in 2020-21 is forecast to rise 21% from the previous year, to 3.4 million metric tons. The forecast, reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, is almost 10% higher than the union’s 9-year average of 3.1 million metric tons. The higher production this season is mainly the result of expected …
Soft Citrus Climbs in South Africa
Production of tangerines/mandarins in South Africa is expected to continue its aggressive growth and is estimated to increase by 8% to 500,000 metric tons in 2020-21. Tangerines/mandarins are referred to as soft citrus. High levels of new plantings in recent years contributed to the production increase, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported in June. The area planted …
Turkey Orange Production Is Down
Orange production in Turkey is estimated to decrease 1.3 million metric tons for 2020-21, a drop of 23% from the prior season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) blamed the decrease on excessive hot weather conditions during the bloom period in May 2020. High price increases continue for input costs such as electricity, fertilizer and chemicals. “Fertilizer …
EU Orange Production to Increase This Season
European Union (EU) orange production is forecast at 6.5 million metric tons in 2020-21, a 5.2% increase over the previous season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported the EU forecast. Expected orange production by country is 3.4 million metric tons for Spain, 1.85 million metric tons for Italy, 915,000 metric tons for Greece, 315,000 metric tons …
Grapefruit Making Strides in South Africa
The production of grapefruit in South Africa is estimated to increase by 8% in 2020-21 from the prior year, to 373,000 metric tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) reported in June. The area planted to grapefruit is expected to increase by 5% to 8,700 hectares. The predominant variety planted in South Africa is the Star Ruby, …
EU Orange Juice Production Climbs
European Union (EU) orange juice (OJ) production is forecast at 89,228 metric tons in 2020-21, a rise of almost 25% compared to the prior year. The EU forecast for OJ production was reported in June by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The forecast is in line with the expected growth in the volume of European oranges destined …
Farmworker Advisory Council Created
A Farmworker Advisory Council was recently created under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). According to FDACS, a previous statewide farmworker advisory council was established in 1979 but later disbanded. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried announced the creation of the council at a press conference at Tamiami Park in Miami. She was joined by Óscar Londoño of WeCount!, Susana …
South Africa Orange Production to Increase
Orange production in South Africa is expected to increase by 2%, to 1.65 million metric tons, in the 2020-21 marketing year. This production estimate was reported in June by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS). The area in South Africa planted with oranges is estimated to grow by 3%, to 46,000 hectares. Increases in the amount of …
Argentina Citrus Production Estimates
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) in June reported changes in its 2020-21 estimates for citrus production in Argentina. The fresh lemon production estimate was increased 12% to 1.15 million metric tons. The fresh orange estimate was revised down by 30,000 metric tons, to 670,000 metric tons. The tangerine production estimate was unchanged at 360,000 metric tons. …
EU Citrus Production on the Rise
Citrus production in the European Union (EU) is expected to rise 10.4% in the 2020-21 season to 11.7 million metric tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The FAS June report attributed the production increase to favorable weather conditions and rebound production mainly in Spain and Italy following a significant drop in 2019-20. “EU citrus …
FDOC Preliminary Budget Approved
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) approved the Florida Department of Citrus’ (FDOC) preliminary operating budget of $29.12 million, an increase of $9.75 million from last season. The FCC serves as the governing board for the FDOC. Steve Johnson, FCC chairman, said the increased budget is largely due to the receipt of $17 million in general revenue funding from the state …