Grapefruit forecast trimmed by 2m boxes

Grapefruit forecast trimmed by 2m boxes

Florida's orange crop, battered by the unprecedented string of hurricanes, is even smaller than first thought, crop forecasters have said.

The grapefruit crop estimate has also reduced, by another 2m boxes, to just 13m 85lb boxes.

The estimated orange harvest was trimmed to 168 million 90lb boxes, down from the 176m projected in the first estimate of the season in October.

The forecast was even worse than the previous estimate, made in October, because of more fruit dropping from trees in the months since three hurricanes blew through the state's citrus-growing areas.

The Florida Agricultural Statistics Service in Orlando said the reduction has happened because size of the fruit now being harvested is smaller than expected.

The grapefruit crop this season will be the smallest since the Depression, and the orange crop is the worst in 13 years.