BARTOW, Fla. – After several years of increases, retail prices for Florida Citrus are expected to stabilize in the 2014-15 season, Florida Department of Citrus Economist Marisa Zansler told the Florida Citrus Commission Wednesday.
Zansler presented this season’s Florida Citrus Outlook report to commissioners at their regularly scheduled board meeting. The report included a look at factors expected to influence the economics of the industry.
“Projections for this season are quite optimistic – even when compared with where we were just a few weeks ago,” Zansler said. “This is in part due to a larger than expected USDA Citrus Crop Estimate delivered earlier this month.”
Among Zansler’s projections are an increase in orange production in both Florida and Brazil, but overall availability is expected to be reduced because of a lower amount of beginning inventories for the year.
Grapefruit and specialty production are expected to be down and fruit prices for all Florida Citrus are expected to be higher. A moderate decline in retail consumption of Orange Juice is projected, with Not-From-Concentrate remaining stronger than Reconstituted orange juice.
For growers, on-tree revenues are expected to be higher than last year, however, Zansler said, this will be offset, to some extent, by higher production costs.
