Florida orange crop cut by 16%; hurricanes' impact yet to be assessed, says USDA
Adds comments from Florida Citrus Mutual, context
By Marcelo Teixeira and Seher Dareen
NEW YORK, Oct 11 (Reuters) -Orange production in Florida was projected on Friday to fall 16% in the 2024/25 season to 15 million boxes, or 675,000 tons, said the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), adding it has yet to assess any damage from the recent hurricanes.
The USDA said total orange production in the country is estimated at 2.62 million tons in 2024/25, 5% below the previous season.
The U.S. orange production has been heavily impacted by the greening bacterial disease, as well as by the intensifying hurricane seasons. Florida's planted area with orange trees fell by half in 20 years.
"The forecast for the season is extremely discouraging," said Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, a group representing growers.
"Our 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," he said.
Orange juice prices hit an all-time high last month amid declining production both in Florida and Brazil, the world's largest grower who is facing a historic drought.
Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira and Seher Dareen; editing by Diane Craft
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