Florida’s citrus industry is “in an accelerating tailspin,” with an orange crop forecast by USDA to be the smallest in 52 years, says the Tampa Bay Times. “The new forecast is a startling 17 percent drop in one year, raising questions of when — or if — Florida’s citrus business will be able to stabilize.” The crop is pegged at 80 million boxes, one-third of the peak crop of 224 million boxes in 1997. Florida grows 60 percent of the U.S. orange crop and most of the oranges used in making juice.
Citrus greening disease, spread by the tiny insect the psyllid, is a leading reason for the decline. “This initial citrus crop estimate confirms that Florida’s citrus industry is in a fight for its life,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a statement. Putnam is seeking an additional $8.5 million in state funding against citrus greening.
Said the Tampa Bay Times, “Orange juice faces attacks on a number of fronts, not just from greening disease but also from the rise of competing breakfast drinks, its consumer price, the loss of grove acreage to urban sprawl and past hurricane damages, as well as from dietary critics who say the juice contains large amounts of sugar.”