BARTOW, Fla. – For the third month in a row, projections on this season’s Florida orange and grapefruit crop held steady, according to a report issued Wednesday by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the 2014-15 citrus crop.
The December forecast kept Florida orange production at 108 million boxes and Florida grapefruit production at 15 million boxes.
“Thanks to the continued efforts of Florida growers to mitigate the effects of citrus greening and what have been very favorable growing conditions, we are seeing some stability in the forecast,” said Doug Ackerman, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. “This is good news for Florida growers and great news for the consumers who count on them.”
About the Florida Department of Citrus
The Florida Citrus Commission is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus, an executive agency of the Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. The commission is a nine-member board appointed by the governor to represent citrus growers, processors and packers. FDOC activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs nearly 76,000 people and provides an annual economic impact close to $9 billion to the state. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit FloridaCitrus.org.
