The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has projected a minor decrease in production of Florida oranges in its March forecast. At the same time, the USDA kept Florida grapefruit steady for the 2020/21 season.
Released Tuesday (9 March), the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service report predicted a less than 1 per cent decrease in Florida orange production from 56m boxes to 55.5m boxes.
Florida grapefruit production remained at 4.6m boxes. Production of specialty citrus also held steady at 1.05m boxes.
“As spring approaches, orange blossoms dot the citrus groves signifying that we are both near the end of one season and the beginning of another,' said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. 'We remain hopeful the current forecast holds through the end of harvest and look forward to the opportunities a new season will bring.”
