trade imbalance

Trade Imbalance Impacting Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperTrade

The citrus industry is not immune to the trade imbalance that is impacting the ag industry across the United States. From 2000 to 2013, the United States exported more citrus than it imported. However, the imbalance began in 2014 and worsened every year through 2023, equating to a deficit of 26 million boxes. The staggering statistics are reflective of the …

Brazilian

Brazilian Orange Juice and Trade

Daniel CooperBrazil, Orange Juice, Trade

Orange juice processing and trade are among topics addressed in a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA FAS) report on Brazilian citrus.  Approximately 80% of Brazilian orange production is used for juice processing, and 20% goes to the market as fresh fruit, USDA FAS reported. Orange juice production is concentrated in the state of São Paulo, followed by Minas Gerais. …

citrus forecast

Citrus Industry Members to Advise on Trade

Josh McGillTrade

Several members of the U.S. citrus industry have been appointed or re-appointed to the federal Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables. They include James Cranney Jr. of California Citrus Quality Council, Casey Creamer of California Citrus Mutual, Melissa Frank-Poole of The Wonderful Company, Dale Murden of Texas Citrus Mutual and Daniel Richey of Riverfront Packing Company. …

Oranges and OJ in China: Production and Trade

Josh McGillChina, Crop Forecast, Orange Juice

Orange production in China is expected to increase in 2022–23 over the prior year, while its orange juice (OJ) production is forecast to decline. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDAFAS). ORANGESChina’s orange production in 2022–23 is forecast to reach 7.6 million metric tons (MMT), up from 7.55 MMT the prior year. The …

Costa Rican

Mexican Orange Production and Trade

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, Mexico, Orange Juice

Mexican orange production in 2022–23 is forecast at 4.2 million metric tons (MMT), 9% lower than the previous year, due to prolonged drought in northeastern Mexico. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). Mexico is estimated to be the fifth-largest orange producer in the world behind Brazil, China, India and the United …

production

Australia Orange Juice Production and Trade

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Orange Juice

Orange juice (OJ) production in Australia in 2022–23 is forecast at 16,100 metric tons (MT), a decrease of 2% from the 2021–22 season’s 16,500 MT. In 2020–21, the country’s OJ production reached 17,400 MT. The 2022–23 forecast was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).   The planted area of juicing orange varieties, accounting for 36% …

sales

Orange Juice in Europe: Production, Consumption and Trade

Josh McGillExport/Import, International, Orange Juice

European Union (EU) orange juice (OJ) production is forecast at 70,390 metric tons (MT) in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported. That’s a drop of almost 10% compared to the previous period due to the expected decline in EU orange supply. Spain is the major orange processor in the EU, followed by Italy. Approximately 20% of …

Citrus Showcase Speaker Predicts Trade War Ahead

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Trade

Geopolitcal expert Peter Zeihan was the keynote speaker for the recent California Citrus Mutual Showcase. The showcase was presented March 4 online. Zeihan said he believes North America will recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 this year, but the rest of the world will not. That, along with other factors, leads him to predict a trade war is inevitable, …

Trade Issues for Fresh Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesCitrus

Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus during the recent virtual citrus Packinghouse Day meeting. Richey, also a member of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, says foreign sales are especially important for Florida citrus.  One of the biggest topics of trade conversation is the effects on the market since the …

Growers to Offer Trade Input

Ernie NeffTrade

The Trump administration will hold two hearings in August with seasonal produce growers to discuss foreign trade policies that may be harming farmers. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recently announced the hearings planned for 9 a.m. Aug. 13 and Aug. 20. At the hearings, officials from the federal agencies will hear from farmers …

citrus forecast

Trade Issues Update for Fresh Citrus

Ernie NeffTrade

Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus at the Aug. 19 Citrus Packinghouse Day in Lake Alfred. Foreign sales are extremely important for fresh Florida citrus, says Richey, a member for five years of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, appointed jointly by the U.S. secretary of agriculture and the U.S. …

citrus forecast

European Union Trade Breakthrough for U.S. Citrus

Daniel CooperCitrus, Trade

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Acting U.S. Trade Representative Stephen Vaughn announced that the European Union (EU) has amended its requirements for imports of U.S. citrus. Specifically, the EU has dropped its requirement that U.S. groves be surveyed for citrus canker, which eases entry of U.S. citrus into the EU market and saves growers millions of dollars in …

private

Private Food-Safety Standards Raise Concerns

Daniel CooperFood Safety, International

The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) recently raised concerns about the growing trend of private food-safety standards imposed by retailers. The WCO warned that these non-scientific requirements threaten the sustainability of the citrus industry, jeopardize farmers’ livelihoods and may ultimately reduce supply to consumer markets. The WCO concerns focus primarily on plant protection products and maximum residue levels that exceed national …

fruit fly

California Medfly and Oriental Fruit Fly Updates

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in September took quarantine actions regarding Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) and Oriental fruit fly (OFF) in California. MEDFLY On Sept. 15, APHIS and CDFA expanded the Santa Clara Medfly quarantine in Santa Clara County. The action was in response …

financial management

Financial Conference Covers Tariffs and Economic Outlook

Daniel CooperCitrus

The Florida Agricultural Financial Management Conference returned Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 after several years of hiatus. The event was held at the Margaritaville Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. Speakers covered topics including measuring financial performance, risk management, optimizing business operations and cybersecurity. Ed Seifried, professor emeritus of economics and business at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, was a featured speaker. …

citrus production

Spain’s Citrus Production to Hit 16-Year Low

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has forecast national citrus production of 5.44 million tons for the 2025–26 season, which began Sept. 1. That’s 10.7% lower than last season’s production and the lowest production level in the last 16 years.  The decline is mainly due to: Oranges, small citrus fruit and lemons are expected to see significant declines, while …

standards

Revised Standards for U.S. Lemons Proposed

Daniel Cooperlemons, Marketing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) is seeking public comments on its proposal to revise the U.S. standards for lemons. SEEDLESS DEFINITION USDA AMS proposes amending the standards to add a definition for the term “seedless lemons.” This new definition would not be applied to affect grade. The proposed definition is: “When marked ‘seedless,’ a 100-count …

Blue Goose

PIECES OF THE PAST: True Blue Goose

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette James S. Crutchfield came into the world on a summer day — July 3, 1874 — in the small farming town of Goshen, Kentucky. His folks, Albert and Hatta, worked the land, and that country know-how ran deep in Crutchfield from the start. He got his schooling in Louisville, then set his sights on Florida in …

Texas

Texas Mexfly Quarantine Update

Daniel CooperPests, Regulation, Texas

Federal and Texas agriculture officials amended the Brownsville Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Cameron County and removed the Edinburg Mexfly quarantine in Hidalgo County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) made the amendments. On Aug. 22, APHIS and TDA reduced the Brownsville quarantine by 67 square …

medfly

New Medfly Quarantine in California

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

A portion of Santa Clara County has been placed under quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) following the detection of two wild female flies in the city of San José. If not stopped, Medflies can devastate fruits and vegetables by reproducing and leaving larvae in produce. The invasive flies can then spread to other regions. A quarantine is a …