Grapefruit growers in Florida’s Indian River are bullish about the quality and volume of their fruit as the first forecast for the season is released.
The US department of agriculture’s national agriculture statistics service (Nass) announced the figures on October 14 and total Florida production is forecast at 25 million boxes just eight per cent below last season. White grapefruit volumes are likely to be three per cent down on 2006-07 and pigmented fruit 11 per cent down.
But in the Indian River - the main growing area in the state of Florida - producers are optimistic about their prospects. “We think we have a good balance and that the crop this year is right on the money given the market conditions - neither too big nor too small [in volume],” said Doug Bournique of the Indian River Citrus League.
Forecasters from Nass said last week that fruit sizes are below the minimum for the last eight years at this point in the season and were projecting them to be the smallest at harvest since the 2001-02 season. But Bournique said this month’s rainfall should change that. “Two weeks ago, we had a week of steady rain and up until then it had been pretty dry. As a result the crop is very clean externally because of the dry weather and now with this rain in October it is very good for internal brix and juice content.”
He added that this season’s crop from the Indian River district is one of the latest maturing in a decade. “There are only one or two packhouses that are even open yet, but most plan to open in the next week or so,” said Bournique. “So we should be ready to go with the harvest like gangbusters from about November 1. Last year was a real vintage year in terms of quality and if Mother Nature gives us an even deck of cards this year, we should have another really good season.”
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