Hurricane Milton severely impacts Florida's citrus sector

Published Dec 13, 2024

Tridge summary

Hurricane Milton has caused significant damage to Florida's citrus industry, leading to a substantial decrease in production for the 2024-2025 season. The USDA's December report reveals a 20% drop from the October forecast for orange production, resulting in a 33% decrease compared to the previous season. Grapefruit production is also expected to be 33% lower. Florida Citrus Mutual is seeking federal hurricane relief funds to aid in rebuilding efforts and has called for continued investment in research and innovation. The industry's production levels have not reached the heights of the 1990s.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The consequences of Hurricane Milton are already being felt in the citrus industry in Florida, United States, with plantations severely affected and with repercussions that will be reflected in the 2024-2025 season. The December report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) details that, in the case of oranges, a production of 12 million boxes is expected, 20% less than the October forecast. If this is fulfilled, it will be 33% lower than the final production of last season. The estimate includes 5 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties) and 7 million Valencia oranges. The report explains that an 8-year regression was used for comparative purposes. All references to “average,” “minimum,” and “maximum” refer to the previous 10 seasons, excluding the 2017-2018 season, which was affected by Hurricane Irma, and the 2022-2023 season, which was affected by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. In detail, the non-Valencia orange forecast is 1 ...

Source: MXfruit