The first estimates for the 2010/11 Florida orange crop have pointed to the possibility of larger volumes during the upcoming season, according to media reports in the state.
Orlando-based citrus consultant Elizabeth Steger has suggested the crop could come in at 154m boxes, an increase of 15.3 per cent on the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) final 2009/10 estimate of 133.6m boxes, The Ledger reported.
Louis Dreyfus Citrus Inc. released an estimate of 149m boxes for 2010/11, an 11.5 per cent increase on the USDA's 2009/10 forecast, with both this Steger's prediction based on a statistical sampling of groves across the state involving counting fruit on the tree and estimating fruit size based on historical rates.
A spring poll of its members by the Florida Citrus Commission pegged the 2010/11 crop at 147.3m boxes, although this was merely an estimate based on local grove conditions.
The initial USDA Florida citrus crop estimate for the 2010/11 campaign is scheduled for 8 October this year.
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