The latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) consensus on the size of the Florida citrus industry has revealed that grove sizes have steadily dropped over the past five years.
According to the report, the state now has around 63.78m commercial orange trees, down 1.9 per cent year-on-year, with acreage falling by 1.8 per cent on 2009 to around 483,418 acres.
Of the 63.78m trees recorded, around 93 per cent are fruit bearing, the USDA noted, with the rest made up of new plantings that are yet to yield any produce.
While the USDA report gave no direct reason for the decline in citrus numbers, it pointed to the ongoing battle the industry faces against the deadly citrus greening disease that first appeared in the state five years ago and has quickly spread.
In addition, some citrus farmers have opted to sell off their land for a number of different reasons, Florida Citrus Mutual spokesperson Andrew Meadows told Reuters.
The USDA released its final orange forecast for the 2009/10 season in July, with the crop coming in at 133.6m boxes, down from 162.5m boxes in 2008/09.
The first official USDA Florida citrus estimate is due on 8 October, with a Florida Citrus Commission spring poll of members predicting a crop of 147.3m tonnes.
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