(The Center Square) – The Florida citrus industry has survived multiple devastating hurricanes in the last several years. It’s also had to deal with freezes and continues to combat citrus greening, a disease that has devastated the industry and is threatening crops.
But after two back-to-back hurricanes – Helene and Milton – in late September and early October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its December forecast for the 2024-2025 citrus harvest. It’s poised to be the smallest citrus harvest in over a century.
December’s forecast was worse than October, which sent shockwaves through the industry, first projecting the smallest citrus harvest in over a century.
The citrus season runs from October to June. Last year, the industry produced roughly 18 million 90-pound boxes of its signature crop – oranges.
In October, the USDA forecasted 15 million boxes of oranges and 1.4 million boxes of grapefruit for the season.
The forecast was “extremely discouraging,” Matt Joyner, the CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, which represents several thousand growers, said in a news release at the time.
“Before Hurricane Milton swept through Florida’s citrus belt this week, citrus growers were optimistic about the health of their groves and were hopeful for the prospect of a fruitful season. After years of battling citrus greening and trying to recover from Hurricane Ian two years ago, we were beginning to see tree health and bloom improve with the treatments and therapies deployed in the groves,” he explained.
But after the back-to-back hurricanes, the USDA released its December forecast projecting additional losses.
All orange production, including Valencia and non-Valencia, is projected to be 20% less than forecasted in October, now at 12 million boxes. All grapefruit production, 14% less, with a projected 1.2 million boxes, down 200,000 boxes from the October forecast. Tangerine and mandarin production are projected to be 13% less than the October projection.
If realized, orange and grapefruit production will be 33% less than last season’s final production, the report states.
This is after in February 2022, the industry reeling from a major freeze, produced the smallest batch of oranges since World War II, The Center Square reported.
The citrus industry, like many in Florida, are still grappling with the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Helene approached Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 landing on Sept. 27. Milton, a Category 3, hit on Oct. 9, tearing through east central Florida with up to 180-mile-hourwinds, dumping 15 inches of rain, flooding roughly a dozen rivers, and spawning at least 19 confirmed tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.
Milton was the third hurricane to hit Florida in one year, the sixth time the state has reported three hurricanes in one hurricane season since 1871.
One citrus producer in Lake County told WKMG News 6, “Most people in the citrus industry, we’re here for good. We’re trying. This is our lifestyle. This is our family. This is our history, and we want to move forward. We understand that Florida has a lot of development, whether it’s homes or buildings and businesses, but this is on our license plates. The orange is the landmark of Florida, and we want to keep it going. So we just roll with the punches.”
Florida citrus growers “are resilient, but after fighting citrus greening for nearly two decades and having three major hurricanes in the past seven years devastate the heart of our growing region, growers are weary and will require support from our state and federal partners to continue the industry’s comeback,” Joyner said.
Citrus growers operate nearly 275,000 acres of citrus groves in Florida, employ more than 32,500 people and create nearly $7 billion in annual economic impact, Florida Citrus Mutual states.
Citrus growers have a history of resilience, the Florida Department of Citrus explains.
In the 1894-1895 season, Florida’s citrus crops were largely destroyed from a devastating freeze prompting growers to move farther south. By 1950, more than 100 million boxes of citrus were picked; by 1970, 200 million.
The majority of Florida citrus is produced in the southern two-thirds of the state. Polk County in central Florida remains the top citrus producing county.
