Florida citrus growers are concentrating on the recovery process after suffering three direct hurricane strikes in less than two months.
Damage from all three hurricanes is looking considerable, Charley alone was estimated at around $285 million by the US department of agriculture and this figure does not include tree loss and the cost of replanting.
Estimated economic losses in the two hardest hit counties, De Soto and Hardee, may total around $445m according to Florida Citrus Mutual.
Frances smashed into some of the major citrus growing regions, St Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Palm Beach, which account for almost 200,000 acres of Florida citrus production, including 73 per cent of the grapefruit crop.
While the USDA has not yet issued an official damage estimate, Florida Citrus Mutual has pegged the economic impact at around $485m.
And finally Hurricane Jeanne followed the same path as Frances, causing further havoc to already weakened and damaged trees.
While some growers may be licking their wounds, the main concern now is how to retain good quality in the remaining fruit while at the same time restoring the trees to enough vigour so they may set a crop of fruit the following spring.
Growers are now being urged to use fertilisers to try and ensure their trees get back into a stable condition for next year’s season.
