The recent downturn in grapefruit exports from Florida has continued this year, with the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) reporting total shipments this season at an estimated 8.3m cartons, or 60 per cent of the US state's total citrus crop.
Just four years ago, with export volumes already diminishing, that figure was 11.3m cartons and 65 per cent of the total.
More worryingly for those involved, Florida's business in key market Japan appears to have taken a hit too.
According to department figures, exports to the Asian country have fallen from 6m cartons in 2008/09 to an estimated 3.9m cartons this season – the lowest in almost three decades.
'The Japanese pocketbook can't keep up with our higher prices,' commented Mike Yetter, FDOC's international marketing manager. 'We have lower quality and higher prices, not exactly a marketer's dream.'
Growers point to increased production costs related to the spread of bacterial diseases citrus greening and canker, as well as a global rise in oil prices, when explaining what amounts to a decrease in Florida grapefruit's ability to compete in international markets with extremely high standards like Japan.
'In the environment growers are working in, we're struggling to provide that kind of grapefruit Japanese consumers expect,' said Frank Hunt III, president of Hunt Bros Cooperative, in an interview with Florida newspaper The Ledger. 'The margin for error is a lot smaller.'
