Hurricanes Ian and Nicole pummeled Florida’s orange groves this fall, resulting in the smallest orange crop since the 1937-38 season, according to a USDA estimate. With the huge losses in Florida, the No. 1 orange state, the U.S. harvest will be one-fifth smaller than last season.
In its monthly Crop Production report, the USDA pegged the Florida orange crop at 20 million boxes weighing 90 pounds each. Growers harvested 41 million boxes during the 2021-22 season.
“If it’s realized, it’s the smallest orange crop since the 1937-1938 season, when 19.1 million boxes was produced,” Mark Hudson, Florida state statistician for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, told USDA Radio.
The U.S. orange crop was forecast at 2.833 million tons, down 18 percent from last season’s 3.471 million tons. California would harvest 47.1 million boxes weighing 80 pounds each, an increase of nearly 17 percent from 40.4 million boxes in 2021/22.
“The December crop forecast reflects the very real challenges that Hurricane Ian, Hurricane Nicole, and the ongoing impacts of citrus greening have created for growers across the state, but we remain hopeful and motivated to secure the future of our industry,” said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the state Department of Citrus.