Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a $340 million block grant to Florida on Tuesday to help citrus growers recover from Hurricane Irma, which hit the state just as the fruit was ready for harvest. The grant is part of $2.36 billion in disaster relief approved by Congress to help nine states that suffered hurricane or wildre damage last year.
The Florida orange crop, estimated at 45 million boxes this season, would be the smallest in 75 years, according to the state Department of Citrus. Grapefruit, tangerine and mandarin output is roughly half of the previous crop. “Florida growers reported 30 to 70 percent crop loss after Hurricane Irma’s landfall on Sept. 10, with the southwest region of the state receiving the most damage. The hurricane uprooted trees and left many groves sitting in standing water for up to three weeks, potentially damaging the root systems and impacting future seasons’ growth,” said the state agency.
Before Irma, growers were headed for a recovery after years of declining production, with the orange crop expected to total 75 million boxes. The state estimated the hurricane caused $760 million in damages to the citrus industry.
The USDA said money from the block grant would reimburse growers for costs such as replacing trees, rehabilitating groves and repairing irrigation systems.
Sign-up for the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program authorized by Congress will begin by July 16, said the USDA. The program is aimed at agricultural losses from wildfires and from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Irene. Producers will be eligible for advance payments of up to 50 percent on their claims and will be required to buy “risk protection” in the future. Crop insurance is a commonly used form of risk management.