Florida Grapefruit held steady
BARTOW, Fla. – According to the latest forecast by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florida Orange production increased slightly while grapefruit production held steady.
The June report projects the state’s orange crop to increase by 500,000 boxes to 68.5 million for the 2016-17 season. The Grapefruit crop held steady at 7.8 million boxes and Specialty dipped by 10,000 to 1.62 million.
“This has been a particularly tough season for Florida Citrus growers with greening and other traditional crop challenges. An increase in 500,000 boxes could be easily dismissed but in this context it is a celebration and shows that these growers are still fighting with everything they’ve got,” said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus.
About the Florida Department of Citrus
The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs more than 45,000 people, provides an annual economic impact of $8.6 billion to the state, and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues that help support Florida’s schools, roads and health care services. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit FloridaCitrus.org.
