Thanks to a huge decline in the Florida crop this season, California is running neck and neck with the Sunshine State as the top orange-producing state with the harvest season in its final weeks, said the USDA. California has expanded production in recent years while output in Florida, hit by the tree-killing citrus greening disease, has fallen steeply over the past two decades.
Florida will harvest 2.33 million tons of oranges this season, 1 percent more than the 2.08 million tons in California, according to the estimate in the USDA’s monthly crop report. Last season, Florida produced 3.03 million tons compared to California’s 2.16 million tons.
“While we expect production to vary from season to season, today’s forecast provides an important reminder that we cannot take this industry for granted,” said Shannon Sharp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus, a state agency. “Growers need our support so that they may continue to produce great-tasting Florida Citrus and support the small communities where citrus is grown.”
In the season before citrus greening arrived, Florida produced 242 million boxes of oranges, weighing 90 pounds apiece, according to the Florida Department of Citrus. By comparison, this year’s crop would be 51.7 million boxes.
Citrus greening is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a tiny insect. “Once a tree is infected, there is no cure,” says the USDA. “Infected trees produce fruits that are green, misshapen and bitter, unsuitable for sale as fresh fruit or for juice. Most infected trees die within a few years.”